When you’re starting or growing a business, there are some sales and marketing strategies and tactics that will help you grow your business FAST & Profitably!
My entrepreneurial motto is to have fun and make money. The more fun you have, the more money you will make. And if you’re not having fun – then who cares about the money!
If you had to choose between a boring or fun person to deal with in business – who would you choose as a partner? And selling and business is a bit of a game. It’s a gamble, a risk – hopefully, a calculated risk and not a bet it all on the farm kind of risk. As adults, many have lost their ability to laugh and play at work.
The following is an overview of what you will learn in this course. As each course is customized for every client and team who takes it, we sit down and determine where the skills shortage is and how to overcome it with some masterful training and coaching by an experienced professional sales and marketing expert.
Recommendations and endorsements from previous clients are good to enhance and build trust and reputation.
Believe — Receive — Action – Key here is in the ACTION part! Just believing does not work without the action step.
Use a CRM customer relationships management system to keep track of contacts, leads, prospects, clients. Start with a free version like Zoho or Hubspot’s CRM. Later you can progress to Infusionsoft or Salesforce as your needs get more sophisticated and your team grows.
When it comes to drumming up new business, like anyone involved in sales, your first big challenge will be to reach the right individuals. To successfully find new prospects for your products and services, you’ll need a hard-working prospecting program that reaches out to qualified prospects and moves them through the sales cycle from cold to warm to hot. Your program must incorporate a range of marketing tactics that, over time, bring prospects incrementally closer to a decision to hire you.
Cold prospects are customers or organizations you’ve identified as well-qualified but that have little or no awareness of your company. They can be reached through advertising, public relations, cold calling, and networking. Begin a campaign of magazine advertising to showcase your unique selling proposition, and set up an ongoing public relations program that targets the same publications. Also, create a prospect list of qualified individuals or organizations, and support your marketing efforts with cold calling. To round out your efforts to reach cold prospects, begin networking within select groups where you’re most likely to come into contact with members of your target audience.
Once you’ve begun calling on top prospects and leads from your advertising and PR programs start to roll in, you’ll need to set up a database using contact management software. This will help you consistently maintain ongoing contact with warm prospects-companies and individuals with whom you’ve previously spoken or met. Initiate a direct-mail campaign to make frequent contact with your database. And support the campaign with sales activities, including follow-up phone calls as well as meetings with prospects generated by your direct mail, advertising, and public relations.
Hot prospects are the ones you’ve successfully moved through the first two stages of your sales cycle. When your marketing program has brought them to this point, you’ll need to get personally involved to supply the “heat” to close sales.
The best method of prospecting is by asking for referrals. Word of mouth recommendations are the most effective.
Before you can ask for a referral you need to build up a solid reputation. People will recommend those they like or trust.
Ask for a referral. Ask if you can write your own referral blurb as this will ensure that you are represented the way you want to be and it takes the hard work away from the person you are asking for a referral.
I want to introduce you to my friend and colleague——————–, who works with busy business leaders like yourself, who need an organized detail person to help them focus more on revenue producing activities and not admin work.
I suggested that you would be a great person for ————– to meet and feel completely comfortable asking if you would be open to meeting her for 30 minutes. After meeting she and exploring how you are currently operating, you may discover that she could really help you and really benefit your bottom line.
Based on what I know about working with ————, your 30 minutes will be well spent, even if it’s just to explore other ways you might be helpful to each other.
Thanks in advance for giving this your thoughtful consideration. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
People and prospective clients don’t want to be pressured into a decision. They can sense desperation therefore to be a good sales person you always need to be relaxed.
Just like professional athletes train, train and train for the big game day, entrepreneurs SHOULD NOT practice on real prospects but have a safe environment where they can practice their pitches, their sales conversations, get feedback on what’s clear, what confident, what’s confusing.
Find a prospect that wants or needs your product, services or expertise. Make contact with them. Ask pertinent questions to determine what they need. Demonstrate your value and show the prospect how you can be of value to them.
The narrower you can define your target audience- the better you can understand their needs and thus you can tailor your message to specifically suit their needs.
Ask questions and listen to what the client has to say. Listening is the key to determining “how you can be of service”
Being in sales means being of service to others #Entrepreneurs #Selling #BizDev Click To TweetAims of the sales conversation
Your main aim as a salesperson is to help your prospective client to achieve their dreams and goals. Not fulfill your sales goal.
Have a list of qualifying questions to determine if you are on the right track. Do your services and products match the potential client’s priorities?
Ask relevant questions —- guide them gently down the path you want them to travel —— offer them a viable solution to their problems.
It’s your job to educate your prospective client about other more viable solutions to their problems.
If you have 10 benefits that you can offer the client but the client only needs 2, it’s not necessary to bore the client with the 8 benefits which are not relevant to the client.
Sales is personalized to suit the client’s needs – There is no template. Scripts do nott work since you cannot anticipate all possible answers.
Improve your sales presentation skills by taking improv training. It helps you to think on your feet.Take time to compose an answer
“You can have everything in life that you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” Zig Ziglar ( motivational sales guru)
Be enthusiastic and passionate about your product. Prospects pick up on your enthusiasm and passion.
Demonstrate that you are interested in the person you are dealing with. Establish the beginnings of a personal relationship. Inquire about what is important to that person – family, causes, hobbies etc. It’s not all about business only.
Be aware of the person you are with. Learn to read body language and facial expressions and adapt accordingly.
Allow people to expand on what they are talking about. People love to talk about themselves and their issues. Ask pertinent questions which will give you better insights as to how you can be of benefit to this prospect.
Show the prospect that you care about them. Site similar cases with other clients and show how you have benefitted them. Highlight results and outcomes using fact based numbers if possible. Be genuine.
The key to knowing your value is confidence. You have to know what you can offer someone – what skills you have that make you unique.
Write a list of all your skills and accomplishments. Your experience is valuable. Know what benefits you offer and talk about them with pride and confidence. Modesty is not an option.
Know the value of your experience and charge accordingly. Be competitive in the market. Research what others who offer similar services charge and work accordingly. Do not give your expertise away cheaply.
Demonstrate what benefits you will bring to the table if hired. People are interested in what they can get out of the deal
Sales is not instantaneous. It takes time to make the prospect travel down the road you wish him/her to go.
Studies have shown that it takes more than 5 – 8 or more contact attempts to get a prospect. Thus you can’t give up.
Sales takes practice. You have to read, research, question – your bosses, colleagues and fellow entrepreneurs, in order to learn about the sales game.
Work diligently on sales demonstrations and presentations as this is the complete package. Be confident about what you are saying and how you are saying it. Know your content and be able to answer questions about what you are delivering.
Hi, I am XXX and I am a multi – tasking miracle worker. I have 20 years of experience with coordinating projects, managing budgets, keeping staff motivated and clients happy.
My superpower is creative problem solving and streamlining processes to achieve maximum results. In short, I create calm out of chaos. How may I help you simplify your life today?
I have 20 years of experience with coordinating projects, managing budgets, keeping staff motivated and clients happy.
How may I help you with the pesky details so you can deal with more important things, like closing more business?
A networking event is an opportunity to meet potential clients and make yourself and what you offer known to others.
At the networking event you will be focussing on promoting xxxx. Your target is to meet at least 3 potential clients by asking them qualifying questions. Know who you wish to connect with like business owners, corporations, and individuals who are looking to xxxx – the problem you solve.
Are there any milestone events in your life that are approaching soon? Can I help you make your event a memorable one.
know how to prospect, follow up and close more business – faster and easier and with more confidence
to be able to have smooth sales conversations that lead to long term relationships with new clients who become RAVING FANS!
Your investment for this highly interactive, intensive training is $13,680 plus HST and includes customization to meet your needs. To discuss this further, please contact Patti @416-951-3842 or Patti@SmallBizSalescoach.ca
To discuss how this course can benefit you and your team to dramatically grow your business, please contact Patti @416-951-3842 or Patti@SmallBizSalescoach.ca
By multiple field tests, the possible range of use of the new seeder-roller combination SmP Séi-Roll Concept 1.0 for seeding by horse traction was analyzed.
Tests and measurements in summer 2014 showed that this implement requires a medium draft power and is thus suited to a single horse hitch.
By seeding and rolling in one pass, it comes up with good operating results, especially on light soil and this even at the low working speed of a draft horse. Thanks to an adequate working width and fully adjustable hitch and traction devices, a good working comfort for the horse is guaranteed.
In order to improve the working results on heavier soils, the retrofitting of a seed covering harrow should be envisaged. Furthermore a support leg could simplify the hitching and unhitching of the draught horse.
In every region of the world can be found today new horse drawn tillage equipment. There are not only manufacturers in the US, mainly in the plain communities, but in Europe, in Italy and France, in India, and in some countries of Africa, such as in South Africa and in Zimbabwe.
Modern draft horse equipment for seeding is more difficult to find. This with the exception of some seeder manufacturers in South America, mainly in Brazil, who specialize in implements for direct seeding and whose sales territories are for the most part in the tropical and subtropical regions. The technology of these implements is especially adapted to the agricultural practices and hitches, mainly draft cattle, in this part of the world.
Sustainability and environmentalism deserve more importance in the world. On arable land, enrichment by green and flower strips, as well as intercropping, can contribute to a better protection of natural resources and biodiversity. At present time, an appropriate draft horse technology for seeding with conservative tillage is missing in the northern part of our world. In the last decades there have been projects for transforming implements for draft horse use, which were initially developed for tractors, which gives the disadvantage of excessive draft power requirements.
Because it is a renewable and environmentally friendly energy source, horse traction is currently undergoing a renaissance in small scale agricultural holdings, winegrowing, market gardening and forestry. Within this context, implements for animal traction with mechanical drivetrain and direct draft are gaining importance. One of the goals of the non-profit association Schaff mat Päerd is to support this process by the development of new equipment and related studies and publications.
This test report analyzes the possible range of use of a prototype, which was designed for new planting and reseeding of grassland and biodiversity plots, and for the seeding of green manure in agriculture, market gardening and wine-growing. Further information about this implement, which consists of a seeder in combination with a prismatic roller, can be found at www.schaffmatpaerd.org
After preliminary tests during the reseeding of a pasture in April 2013 and the intercrop seeding of green manure in a vegetable garden in September 2013, the measuring tests took place on the 1st and 15th of June 2014 on the SCHMIT-LAROCHE farm in Tuntange (Luxembourg).
To evaluate the required tractive effort, the draft force and working speed were measured during different work and on different soil types. These were:
Seeding of grass on a parcel B with a surface of 0,67 ha and medium heavy soil after ploughless minimum tillage
Both parcels were free of stones on the surface. Parcel A was flat, whereas parcel B featured a slope in the direction of work. All measurements were taken between 10.00 and 12.00 a.m.
a Lorenz K-12 force sensor mounted between the single tree and the adjustable traction device on the implement’s front frame
As well as the tractive effort generated by the single hitched horse, the working principle and results for the different work and the operating of the machine were examined. The connection between the evener and the double-stitched leather traces, with inner webbed nylon reinforcement, was achieved for the first test series using draft springs from the Italian manufacturer EQUI IDEA with a spring rate of 17.5 N/mm (100 lbs/in), mounted on both sides. The same horse named Irmi, belonging to the SCHMIT-LAROCHE farm, was hitched for each measurement. The angle of draft was set identically for all measurings on 15° with a single tree height of 300 mm (11-13/16 in). Also the seeding rate was set identically for all measurings at 25 kg/ha (22,3 lbs/ac).
In order to guarantee the statistical significance of the measurements, every measuring was repeated four times, this with measurement times for the partial measurements between 03 min 27 s and 07 min 25 s. The measured values were recorded with a summary measuring rate of 100 Hz resulting in a frequency of 33.33 Hz for each of the three dimensions (time, force, speed). In order to not exceed the scope of the current report, the graphs below represent just a selection of the results, providing an overview of the characteristics of the implement.
The graphs 1.1 and 2.1 show, contrary to all expectations, that the work on medium heavy soil requires more efforts to the horse, on average +18%, as on light soil. By that the greater penetration of the points of the prismatic roller on sandy soil represents no disadvantage in relation to the required draft effort of the horse. Regarding the working results, the greater penetration has to be seen as advantageous, as it permits to bury the seed.
The working results on light soil can be classified as very good, with a uniform distribution of the seed in the lateral direction and a sufficient covering of the seed by the soil. On medium heavy soil, where the rings of the prismatic roller enter less into the soil, due to the small load and the limited working speed of the draught horse, a large portion of the seed remains on the ground surface.
The work with pivoting shafts, represented in graph 2.2, offers a slight advantage concerning the draft force, as the pivotable suspension of the shafts allows for the roller to follow the irregularities of the ground. This constructional detail allows it also to improve the working comfort of the draught horse, as an additional load on the back and the belly of the horse by the shafts is avoided.
On graph 2.3 it comes out that the draught without draft springs between the traces of the harness and the implement, decreases the draft force, this by -10% on average. On the other hand, the irregularity of the draft force, characterised by the mean deviation, increases about +7% without the use of draft springs.
All measuring results discussed above are summarized in graph 3. Graph 4 shows the influence of the slope in parcel B. For all three hitch variants the work uphill increases the draft force by an average of 30-33% compared with the work downhill. During uphill work the horse increases slightly its speed, on average 7%, while maintaining a calm and steady work pace, which favours the optimum transformation of its own muscular strength into draft force.
The machine made little noise during work, which results mainly from the transmission and the seeding mechanism. The communication between the man and the animal was not affected negatively. Walking on the left side of the implement affords the carter a good view of the functioning of the machine and at the same time a good non-verbal communication with the horse. In this way, with sufficiently short lines, a sensitive contact with the bitless horse is assured and it is possible for the horse to see the carter, which refines the communication between the two.
The activation of the claw clutch by a lever on the left side, in good reach of the carter, needs just a small actuating force. Turning on of the implement is preferably done at standstill in order to prevent a premature wear out of the coupling claws. Turning off is also possible during motion of the implement.
The stability and the maneuverability of the machine in difficult terrain are guaranteed thanks to the small dimensions, a sufficiently low center of gravity, and by hitching close to the horse. The shaft and single tree carriers, parts which were tested yet on other prototypes, gave satisfaction by allowing to adapt the length and the width of the shafts as well as the height of the single tree to the horse’s size.
Because of the adjustable hitch device, it is possible to set the intersection of the gravitational force and the draft force of the machine in the rotation axis of the roller, as illustrated in ‘Balance of Forces’. This balance of forces allows it to limit the load on the back pad and its interaction with the draft force. The load on the back pad at standstill of the implement has been determined to be 13,45 kg, which allows for stable work in difficult terrain to be possible.
For all executed works during this comparison test the tractive effort for the horse can be classified as moderate. Due to the higher rolling friction on worked arable land, the measurement results are higher as those, which were determined during the preliminary tests in 2013. The latter were executed on hard ground with partial grass cover, with an average value for the draft force of about 0,275 kN and a mean deviation of 0,118 kN.
As already determined during other tests (see SmP test reports 2013), the oscillations of the draft force increase with the effort of the horse. The fact that the draft springs are not always capable of decreasing the average value of the draft force of each implement, agrees with the results, which were determined by SmP during other tests in Italy, Sweden and Luxembourg, which can be found at www.schaffmatpaerd.org
In order to improve the results on heavier soils, the retrofitting of a seed covering harrow between the seed outlets and the prismatic roller should be envisaged. This in order to prevent damage to the seed by dryness and bird grub.
Additionally, the half of the prismatic roller rings in plastic could be replaced by rings made of grey cast iron, which would increase the weight of the implement and by that the contact pressure on the ground. Doing this, the operating noise increases just slightly, as shown during the preliminary tests. A complete fitting with grey cast iron rings was not satisfactory, as the noise was too high, giving a negative influence to the working comfort of the animal and the human as well as to the communication between the two.
Furthermore, a support leg which should be fixed on the adjustable single tree carrier, could simplify the hitching and unhitching of the draught horse by a single person, while the safety at work could be improved. It would not be necessary to raise or lower the shafts during this action.
Additional tests must be conducted to determine the effect of rigid or freely pivoting shafts on the working comfort of the horse, especially in terms of the support forces of the shafts on the back pad and the steering forces in different working situations. The same applies to a detailed analysis of a better adaptation of the draft springs.
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