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This type of marketing is very much like a consignment store. You advertise the various products on your web pages and for your effort, each sale brings in cash. There is less time needed, very low operating costs, it works 24 hours a day, and it is simple to pick up.

To start with, you must make a decision as to what items or niche area you would like to specialize in. To get this out of the way, you need to find out solutions to problems a specific customer profile is suffering from, and then find out how you can assist them. One of the best means to determine this is looking for unique sets of extremely targeted longtail keywords and phrases; there are fewer searches for these in general, however they convert far more. These important keywords can be discovered by using Micro Niche Finder or or a a similar program. Data generated from Micro Niche Finder or other programs or computer software gives you a list of associated terminology providing worthwhile targets to gain a head-start when it comes to ranking on an internet based search engine.

Micro Niche Finder data will also let you know how many searches each keyword or phrase gets, the exact number of other sites using the particular keyword or phrase, and inforamtion on your rivals as well. Ultimately, Micro Niche Finder information can help in loacting the right domain, subject matter for your web site, and even draw your attention to the best sales opportunities.

Building a web site is next; however it will require more than that. You’ll want to fine tune your internet site for the search engines. Applications such as SEO Elite will make this easy. This computer program automatically examines the internet sites of the competition and advises you what you can do in order to have good rankings in the search engine listings.

With programs like SEO Elite, information provided by the software package suggests where to get links, the most lucrative keywords, and an extensive listing of sites to submit articles for reference. In Brief, Seo Elite information is the same sort of advice you would get from an experienced SEO professional.

When you have discovered which target market you want to concentrate on, have your product ads, and your site has been designed, then you are ready to positively explode your search results. Your earnings will roll in regularly and you’ll question why you did not try this type of marketing sooner!

If you’re a solopreneur, consultant, business owner, or independent professional, you probably have asked yourself some or all of the following questions:

* How can I get more clients?

* How can I get better clients?

* How do I sell more to the clients I’ve got?

* Can I earn more money and still have a life?

* Why are sales activities so difficult sometimes?

* Is there a “right” way to sell?

* Where can I turn for hands-on advice when I need it?

* When will this get easier?

Well, I’ve got some answers. Here’s what most sales training companies will tell you is the answer to your sales and marketing challenges: sales training. Here’s what most marketing consultants will tell you is your answer: marketing consulting.

Well, that just isn’t the case.

If anything, you need to UNlearn what a lot of sales training and marketing seminars and sales books have told you. You need to reconnect with how to sell based on WHO you are – in short, to start using and recognizing the power of selling differently.

And here’s something new and different coming from someone like me: You don’t need sales training.

Sales training (and any training) is for people who lack knowledge. My clients are typically very smart. But they’ve learned to sell from the head – using gimmicks, clever phrases, manipulative “closing” techniques, and artificial “rapport-building.” None of this works or lasts because it’s outside-in – trying to force you into a mold that you just don’t fit.

A truly effective approach will unlock your thinking and help you sell FOR REAL. It’s more authentic, and it works and lasts because you start to sell from the inside-out – based on WHO you are, and not on an external set of behaviors that work for only a very small percentage of “old school” salespeople.

Think about it. You know how to sell (or at least you know you don’t like what a lot of sales training SAYS is the way to sell). You have probably had some sales training; and you might have gone to a few sales seminars; you have probably read a sales or marketing book or two; and you may even have heard some fluffy “woo-woo” talks that call themselves sales training; but none of it stuck because none of it seemed relevant to you or spoke to your desire to help people by providing genuine value.

You need a personal sales and marketing strategy that seamlessly combines your natural self with your strongest message to your best prospects with the highest value, using the least time and effort.

Then you need a plan and an accountability mechanism (sales manager, coach, or colleague) that will help you work your plan, day by day, prospect by prospect.

Unlike traditional sales training, true sales and marketing effectiveness is a process, not an event. And it always works from the INSIDE out. That means that it’s focused on internal skills and lasting tools, not sales training gimmicks or external “techniques.”

When selecting a sales and marketing professional, you need to be aware that a lot of marketing consultants give detailed blueprints but no tools. And a lot of sales training provides specific tools but no overall blueprint.

You want to look for a resource that integrates big-picture marketing strategy with day-to-day selling tools so that your marketing WORKS and that MORE SALES HAPPEN. The truth is that nobody needs “one-size-fits-all” sales training or “here’s-your-marketing-plan-good-luck” consulting. You simply need a customized set of keys to unlock the business answers you need. There is no cookie cutter. You’re no cookie.

Marketing and innovation expert David Newman has written 8 books and has been quoted in dozens of national media outlets. David is also a sought-after speaker and seminar leader. Visit http://www.unconsulting.com for more free articles and resources.

We like to do business with people and firms we know, or at
least have heard about – it gives us a feeling of comfort and
security.

What happens at a trade show? Is there such thing as a
true cold call?

I say No. And these are my five reasons I say so….

1. IT DEPENDS ON YOUR SIDE OF THE AISLE -

As an exhibitor, there will be people you have never met,
representing companies you do not know but – you are not
calling on them. The visitor has the control of the encounter
and approaches you. The cold call is TO you, not from you.

2. MOST VISITORS ARE FOCUSED -

They have a problem – immediate, perceived, anticipated or
just a dream. They are looking for a solution, and in most
cases, they are casing your company as a solution provider.
This means you need to listen carefully to strangers and
slot their concerns into your arsenal of answers.

3. MOST VISITORS KNOW YOUR COMPANY -

Maybe not intimately as a client, or even as prospect, but via
Internet research, industry gossip, publicity, conversations
with your clients,. Unless you are a brand-new venture with
absolutely no exposure, your name and reputation are out
there. Today, there is no privacy thanks to technology.

4. SELLING IS SELLING -

Does it really matter who starts the Sales Dance? Some
exhibitors insist on leading this cha-cha – which may turn
into a slow waltz when they don’t listen or acknowledge that
control of the conversation belongs to the visitor.

5. UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS -

At a trade show, the visitor is in charge. The visitor has
made these major decisions TO-
Spend the money, take the time to go the show
Read the Show Program, decide to visit certain
exhibitors
Actually attend the show
Walk down each aisle
Spot which exhibits – pre-selected or not – to visit
Stop at your exhibit
Engage in conversation, request follow-up

What happens after this is out of the control of the trade
show staff and moves to sales for follow-up. At which point,
it is certainly not a cold call.

****************************

Julia O’Connor – Speaker, Author, Consultant – writes
about practical aspects of trade shows. As president of
Trade Show Training, inc,, now celebrating its 10th
year, she works with companies in a variety of
industries to improve their bottom line and marketing
opportunities at trade shows.

Julia is an expert in the psychology of the trade show
environment and uses this expertise in sales training
and management seminars. Contact her at
804-355-7800 or check the site
http://www.TradeShowTraining.com

Some people say we live in the Information Age.

I call it the Distraction Age.

My new hometown is Distractionville. Everything and everybody shouts, “Hey, look at me!”: E-mail, Internet, TV, telephone, newspaper, radio, family and friends. The Distraction Faction is as bright as the midday sun and louder than a freight train in Distractionville.

I have had conversations lately with many small business owners about promoting their businesses for more sales. Traditional methods of advertising are more expensive than ever for the results they offer. Newspapers, magazines, radio,TV and Yellow Pages worked well in the past but due to the increasingly shortened attention spans in Distractionville, these methods for getting information to your customers aren’t getting results.

Business owners tell me they are often exasperated when their regular customers tell them about buying goods or services from another vendor that are readily available from their own businesses. The owners think what kind of customer loyalty is that for all of the service I offer to you? The owners say to the customers, “We offer that, too, you know”.

“I didn’t know you did that!” is the response from the customer.

Even if the customer should have known from your previous marketing efforts, it doesn’t matter. The sale is lost forever.

How can you get your message heard and seen in Distractionville? Consider increasing the decibel level of your business by using some of the following ideas adapted for your business:

-A florist offers to put bosses on a tickler list for advanced contact and products for secretary’s day for next year.

-The tire shop presents a coupon book of free tire rotations with every sale of new tires to get customers back for oil changes, brake inspections, etc.

-The dress shop calls its best customers to annouce the fall line is in with the customer’s size in stock.

-The computer repair service mails post cards to customers with older systems annoucing a special on systems upgrades and wireless networking.

-The coffee house offers coupons to each customer for a discount on its fresh baked blueberry muffins for the next visit.

-The lawn service puts door hangers on current customers’ doors with weeding and edging service information.

The solution for promoting all of your business goods and services to your existing customers is simple. Find new ways to tell them what you do. Then tell them again a different way. Then to be heard and seen above the roar of the crowd of Distractionville, tell them one more time.

Three easy steps:

1. Do it
2. Do it

3. Do it

Doug Emerson trains,consults and coaches small business owners daily about how to make more profit in less time.

He writes a FREE electronic newsletter filled with ideas about how you can improve your profits and create a life that balances work, rest and play. Go to this link and subscribe. http://www.douglasemerson.com/3Iwrotethis.htm

Or visit the website: http://www.douglasemerson.com

Christmas time is always a bad time for my family – when it comes to eating.

There is always so much to eat and it tastes just divine… overeating really can’t be helped.

And then comes January when we are all on serious detox programmes.

This year was no different, of course.
But with the rushing out to buy all the healthiest, bestest, most organic foods we could find, we found ourselves running out of cupboard space to pack all this healthy stuff.

And at the back of one of our healthy cupboards I discovered… yes – lurking in the darkness in a corner – a tin of condensed milk.
What to do?
That tin had been in the cupboard for about 6 months, completely hidden away and unused.
But now – it could not stay there anymore.
It was sure to lead us into temptation – it had to go!!!

But where to put it?
I couldn’t throw it away!

Eventually, after a long hard think, the only available spot I could find was a little opening on a shelf right above our kettle.
And that was where I left it.

Now – for the big question.
The tin had been hiding in the cupboard for 6 months.
How long do you think it lasted out in the open just above the kettle (a place that gets visited at least 10 times a day for various coffee and tea breaks…)

Take a guess.

How long do you think?

Well, I am ashamed to say that the answer is… a whole 4 days.

So what in the heck does my sweet tooth have to do with your business?

An immense amount actually.

Think about this – the tin of condensed milk never tried to sell itself to me.
No hard sell involved.
It wasn’t being pushy.
In fact – it didn’t even say a word.

But what did it do?
Nothing – it was just there.
It was creating an awareness.
And eventually, when I was ready, I HAD to give in.

In your business, do you have a plan in place to stay in contact regularly with your customers and your potential customers.
Remember – you don’t have to sell to them for them to buy from you.
You simply have to be in their awareness all the time.
Once a week, once a month.

But whatever you do, never drop the ball.

Eventually when they are ready for you (and if you are in their top-of-mind awareness), then you are the only person they will come to.

Put in place a 7-point system to stay in contact (over the next 7 weeks or whatever works for you), and then stick to that system.

You’ll be amazed by how clever a tin of condensed milk actually is.

Rudi Jansen is a Business Growth Specialist and Chartered Accountant.
Get his free e-book, “7 Easy Ways To Grow Your Business” at http://www.kando1-2.com

What do you do when you have a big sales week, month or quarter?

What do the other salespeople you work with do with their money?

Do you “reward” yourself? Do you “invest” in your future?

As salespeople we are notoriously known for the amount of toys we buy with our commissions. Killer stereo systems. Picture Cell Phones. Titanium Palm Pilots. Luxurious new clothes. Expensive lunches. Partying with our friends.

We say “I deserve this.”

I know that’s what I used to say.

Sales is hard. It gets all of our emotions riled up. Excitement. Fear. Anger. Juice. The thrill of the kill.

Your emotions are intense and very real.

So you want to reward yourself.

Rewarding yourself, is your way of feeling good after all you put yourself through to make the sales you did.

It’s a natural reaction to going through times of feeling fear, frustration, and stress.

Before we close another big sale we often feel fear.

Fear that you won’t close again.

Fear that you’ve lost your edge.

Fear that you will get fired and lose your job.

And then when you do make the sale, WHAM! Excitement! Elation! Relief!

It’s time to play!

This rollercoaster can be a lot of fun. But it also can be costly to your future.

Sales offers a real opportunity for men and women everywhere to make large sums of money and get out of the rat race.

The more you say “I deserve this” and “reward” yourself with toys and indulgences, the longer you be working for someone else in sales.

If you want to eventually get out of the rat race, you’ve got to have a reward system that will help you do it.

Consumption rewards just bandage you up and make you feel good for a little while.

Then you’re back at the sales game again, looking for more sales and the cycle starts over again: fear, frustration, stress, win, excitement, reward.

I know. I’ve been through this many times myself.

I can remember one of my first big sales wins. I took my sales partner and our wives out for a luxurious dinner at a restaurant that I was very impressed with. It felt great that night to dine well and drink champagne.

But the next day I was worrying about the next deal, with a few hundred dollars less in my bank account.

I repeated this pattern of pain – win – reward for many years before I realized what I was doing to myself.

Then I changed my focus.

I focused on the future, and set some bigger goals for myself.

I changed my reward system. I now measure my rewards in terms of how much closer I am getting to complete financial independence.

Consumption is nice, and my family and I do live well.

But I am much happier focusing on the day that making money will be optional and not a necessity of my daily existence. It’s important to budget your commissions intelligently.

When you get a big commission check, take a substantial portion of it and save it. Build up your financial stockpile.

Set better goals for yourself. Goals such as “I want to make $200K this year” aren’t enough. You need to be more specific. You need to set goals for what you will do with this money (hint: complete financial independence is one of mine).

What you’ll find when you build your financial stockpile is that the fear, frustration and stress you experience decreases.

And by setting bigger and better goals, you’ll find it easier to build your financial stockpile because you’ll have highly motivating goals to keep you on course.

After all, did you really get into sales to just so you could buy the latest and greatest cell phone every year?

© 1999-2004 Shamus Brown, All Rights Reserved.

Shamus Brown is a Professional Sales Coach and former high-tech sales pro who began his career selling for IBM. Shamus has written more than 50 articles on selling and is the creator of the popular Persuasive Selling Skills CD Audio Program. You can read more of Shamus Brown’s sales tips at http://Sales-Tips.industrialEGO.com/ and you can learn more about his persuasive sales skills training at http://www.Persuasive-Sales-Skills.com/

I stubbed my little toe while I was walking around the house in the dark. I had forgotten that the furniture was moved for a dinner party. My little toe just caught the edge of a chair leg while I was in full stride. I won’t tell you what I said when it occurred but everyone in the house knew something had happened. If this has happened to you, you know that it can really hurt.

If a salesperson came to me with a special pain reliever designed to eliminate my small toe pain, I would purchase it today. However, time is running out. I will only be interested if that little toe strikes another chair leg soon or if it gets worse.

Each time I put on a pair of shoes I am reminded of the evening event. I expect that someday, hopefully soon, the pain will be completely gone and it will be a distant memory. The little toe has struck a few things over the past few weeks and each time it has reminded me of the first occurrence.

The Crying Toe

If we relate this story to businesses that have problems and situations that need to be resolved, there are thousands of little toes that hurt out there. Just like mine, their pain will come and go. Some of our prospects situations will become aggravated at seasonal times and we must be there for them. If we are not, they will turn to anyone who can help them. Timing is everything with this type of situation and if we are good salespeople and businesses, we will be there for our customers.

Just because we asked a client about a service and or product before and they said NO! This doesn’t mean that they can’t use it. It might have been just timing. Or, maybe we didn’t step on the right toe or probe with more questions. Sometimes we need to help our customers realize that they have a problem and we have a solution.

Making it hurt

When we go to the Doctor for a checkup they ask us all kinds of questions about our habits and what and where we hurt. They are searching for problems just like we should be as salespeople. If you tell a doctor that you have a small pain somewhere, look out! The next thing they do is to make it hurt even more. They want to know just how bad it is. They might ask the question “does this hurt?” You know the routine.

We should apply the same practice of doctors and twist or bend the problem till it really hurts. If we don’t do this we might lose the opportunity because in time, the pain might go away. When we uncover a problem in a business we should try to uncover all the problems associated with it. For example, it hurts to walk or run with a damaged toe, this affects productivity. We can’t think as well with a hurt toe because it requires us to focus on it more and takes away from other areas. When we combine all this, it becomes a bigger problem. The bigger the problem, the greater the opportunity we have for increasing their desire to have a remedy for the pain. Make it hurt enough and they won’t care how much the prescription is and they will want to know when they can have it.

Steve Martinez is the Founder of Selling Magic a strategic business development consulting company. The company specializes in Automated Sales Process Management (ASPM) which increases sales through technology and automation of the best practices of sales. You can get our FREE reports at http://www.sellingmagic.com

You’ll find that the extremely important skill of tactical
communicating will be that much easier if you if know who it is
you’re talking to. Luckily, there’s a simple, yet powerful
formula that Myers & Briggs developed, to pinpoint different
personalities, and what I’m referring to is the DISC, or
D.I.S.C. personality profile. In its simplest form, the DISC
model breaks all of us into 4 different personality types. The
word DISC is an Acronym for these different types of people. The
4 Personalities are easily remembered using letters. But
remembering how they act and react in real life is easiest by
using birds! The “D” from D.I.S.C. is the Driver. These people
are direct, forceful, and results oriented people. These types
of people may not be very good at customer service or repetitive
tasks. If they were a bird, they would be an eagle. An Eagle is
top of the food chain. They fly alone, and they make quick
decisions. As an aggressive animal, the link back to people in
business is that these people are most often the ones with the
big office – the President or Manager! You’ve probably run
across this personality type with people who want short answers,
no fluff. And they let you know that you better get to the
point, they have little time to waste. With a “D” you have to
make your point quickly and show plenty of benefit to them. “I”
is the Influencer in D.I.S.C. They want to be everybody’s
friend. They are everybody’s friend. They tend to be optimistic,
energetic and outgoing. They work well as salespeople, but
generally not quite as good at collecting your receivables.
Sound like anyone you know? An “I” personality is usually
referred to as a Rooster or a Peacock! Bright flashy colors,
screaming “Look at me, look at me! As a general rule these
people want to be included and recognized. (An excellent point
to keep in mind when selling to one) You’ll spot them easily by
the trophies, photos, awards and “#1 Dad” coffee mugs in their
office! “S” is Steadiness. These people are patient and relaxed.
They are content to hang back in the crowd and look for
direction from others. An excellent choice as an administrator
or receptionist. I’ve seen them as Owners and Presidents, quite
often in the Medical and Technical Fields. It’s a great
character trait, but not one that needs to stand out in the
crowd. If you have a lot of Office Managers on your accounts
list, this is a personality type that will encounter a lot. If
an “S” was a bird, it would be a Dove. “C” is the Compliance
person. They like “the rules”. As a matter of fact, they need
them to function well. They tend to be very detail oriented and
accurate. Obviously, these people are a great choice where
details are important. So if you sell to Engineers, Lawyers,
Doctors, Architects, Law Enforcement, you may encounter C’s. A
“C” personality is like an Owl; wise, watchful and analytical.
Of course, these are all general terms, and most people aren’t
confined to just one category. I, myself have traits that make
me both an “I” as well as a “D”, but the DISC model does help
you to understand the people that you deal with each day, and
help you to communicate with them in a way that makes it easier
for both of you.

I was recently consulting with a very large, multinational firm. In their own heart of hearts – and, in their boardroom – they believed that they had a sales problem. And they do. However, the sales problem is merely symptomatic of a number of deeper issues that need to be addressed before any serious improvement can be made in their sales results.

This scenario, however, is not rare. And it makes no difference whether the organization is large (this client sells $2.6 billion in the U.S. alone) or small, a “ma-pop,” small business or entrepreneurial environment. These situations exist in all organizations. No matter the size. What is believed to be the problem is merely a symptom of a series of deeper, more endemic challenges.

In this case there were a whole series of problems. Fortunately, the leaders of this organization have now seen them, accepted their existence and now, together, we are addressing them. In this particular case here they are:

Let’s talk more about sales process and integration with CRM. Lots of companies fail to see the connection between developing a well defined sales process that’s repeatable and scalable and the actual recording of sales activity, tracking and forecasting of sales results in a customer relationship, management or CRM system, also known as sales force automation or SFA. In today’s day and age, a company cannot afford to deploy a CRM system without first spending the necessary time in order to define their sales process. Likewise, other companies that have well defined sales processes, to the extent that they don’t do a good job of customizing their CRM systems–to integrate with that sales process– they’ll find many disconnects leading to frustration, poor data management, poor forecasting, poor reporting and poor pipeline visibility when it comes to sales management tools. So, now more than ever, it’s really important to integrate both your sales process with your CRM system to get the optimized results that you’re looking for.

The first step in this process is to start by defining your sales process. You can’t deploy CRM without first defining your sales process. And it’s really easy to do so. We’ve developed a set of tools that allow your company to actually go through the steps of defining all of the work flow and different field sales and inside sales definitions as well as opportunity stages so that they can be easily mapped into sales force automation or CRM. Once you’ve completed the complete sales process definition which typically defines the work flow, the different sales opportunity stages, as well as the different actions and sales tools to be used at each stage.

It’s very easy to integrate those into your CRM system and deploy them and then use the CRM system as an actual tool to manage the workflow and improve your sales efficiency. That is the number one benefit that you’re going to get out of a well defined sales process and sales process integration is you’re going to get better efficiency from your sales force, you’re going to get better opportunity management, your also going to get better visibility over your overall pipeline and your overall sales forecast leading to better predictable revenues and better forecasting accuracy. These are just some of the benefits of integrating your sales process with CRM.

About Cube Management:

Cube Management provides sales acceleration services to emerging growth and mid-market companies in the technology, manufacturing, healthcare and business service sectors. The experts at Cube Management work across the entire spectrum of marketing, sales and business development to provide customized solutions that drive revenue and profit growth. Cube Management combines Strategy, Process & People to produce winning results.