Posts Tagged ‘new customers’

Anything you can suggest to train new salespeople to pick up the phone in the Insurance business? They seem to hate making calls, even to customers who have bought from us before. How can I improve their collective attitude and generate more business from my telemarketer?

Monday, May 2nd, 2011

There are a few immediate concerns that pop out of your letter. First, maybe you have the wrong people for your telemarketing jobs. Certain personalities don’t like interacting with people they don’t know. What does your hiring program look like? Are you using personality tests to help figure out who would do best in certain positions and which positions don’t match with certain personality types?

It could also be that they’re not comfortable with what they are offering. In this case, either they don’t understand the offer or product, or they don’t believe in it. If this is the situation, you have to either develop a better offer or train your team in a new way, designed so they understand what they are selling implicitly.

Maybe they are too comfortable. If they earn a good wage and there is no REAL incentive to pick up the phone and get the sale, what is in it for them? They may work for you, but you still have to teach them why it benefits them that your business gets more sales. It could either be the carrot (or the stick) in this case.

You could play nice and offer quarterly goals they can reach to earn more money. Or you could go the other way and make it very clear that if their attitude toward the phone continues this way, they won’t have a job for much longer.

No matter what the issue is, there is only one person who can change and who is accountable for it, and that is you. It seems to me if you have a problem getting your team to do their job, you have a major leadership issue.

Remember, the boss isn’t there to be a team member’s friend. The boss is there to make sure the business continues to grow and evolve to reach its potential and to do that, your focus has to be on results.

If you aren’t getting results with one group, yet you’ve trained them and given them every opportunity to succeed, it may be time to move on to the next set of employees and train them the right way from the beginning.

All the best,
Brad Sugars

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I would like to know how to make effective cold calls. It takes me speaking to 100 business owners to get 1 perfect appointment. As you can see from the numbers, it’s a challenge for me. Is there some ideas I can use to convince my potential customers to give me a chance?

Thursday, April 28th, 2011

Cold calling is certainly not easy, but with the proper preparation you can use it to find the right customers for your business.

To make your cold calling more effective, it could certainly help if you can find ways to get the name of your business known. After all, if you call and say you are from a business with brand recognition, you are far more likely to get past the first objection.

Could you try direct mail to do this? Maybe you could send prospective customers some info, including testimonials from current or previous customers that might make them a little more receptive when you call them.

Next, have a look at your scripts.

What is your intention for the call and what is the prospects outcome of your call? What are the needs of the prospect and of their business?

If you are simply after an appointment, then what’s in it for them?

Remember, your intention comes across in the call and they can hear it in your voice. If the words you use and they way you say them put sales pressure on the prospect, this can trigger an alarm for the prospect to shut down because they think that you are just a salesman and not at all interested in what they need.

Effective cold-calling is affected by a number of factors. Here’s some of them.
1. Your product or service
2. The market perception of your industry
3. The perceptions your prospects have of cold calling
4. The script and telemarketing team
5. Brand awareness and reputation

My biggest tip for cold-calling is to get them talking by asking open-ended questions. Remember not to talk simply about your business, but ask questions about their needs and why they are looking to buy.

When they answer your questions, they show their interest and by you listening to them, you show yours. It’s all about building rapport so they want to meet you, not only to buy from you once, but to buy from you over and over again.

Encouraging the prospect to talk and building rapport is crucial, so ask the right questions in your scripts and remember, the fastest way to better results is using the right techniques.

All the best,
Brad Sugars

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Over a year ago I started working part time as a mortgage originator, while also maintaining my full time job. I can only describe my attempts as being spectacularly unsuccessful. The biggest hurdle that I haven’t managed to overcome is lead generation. The main method that I have used to try to generate leads is building rapport with real estate agents, and working on building a referral network through them. For over a year I have regularly visited agents, and feel that I have a good relationship with a number of them and I always make sure that I ask for a referral in one way or another. So far, I have had zero referrals from any agents. Any advice on other methods by which to generate leads in this industry would be appreciated?

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

You may be right about the time issue. The agents may like you just fine, but they may not see you as committed to the task at hand, or not of much value to them.

Because they know you are only putting a few days per week into your business, they may not have the necessary confidence in you. They also may not be aware of any return the will get on investing one of their customers with you.

Generating referrals is not usually as one-way street. Often, the best way of getting leads from someone, is to give some. If an agent has a lead, they are more likely to pass it to someone that has provided them with a lead in the past.

This is how strategic alliances work, so while they may like you personally they aren’t seeing the extra value a relationship with you can bring to their business.

If you give more than you ask for and you will start getting a ton of referrals, so find ways to return the favor and build those relationships in a business-like manner, rather than the personal way you seem to be doing it.

Also, remember your target market. Since you are not getting mortgages for agents, but rather for buyers, perhaps you are marketing to the wrong group. Consider how you can reach buyers with your message rather than agents.

Real estate agents are often the gatekeepers to the target market if your target market is new home financing but there are a different set of gatekeepers for refinancing of homes. At least in the US, there’s at least as much, if not more, action around refinance than there is new loan origination.

This can be just one of the new options your business can look toward in generating leads. You could also just directly target people who have put their homes on the market or are looking to buy.

You say that you started your full-time job to gain some sales skills. If this is still your real aim, then think of ways to do this and convert more of the leads you’re getting into customers.

All the best,
Brad Sugars

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Help Brad! I run a small Home Safety business in the United Kingdom. I am targeting locally through the internet, but it’s not working. I have a website yet there is something wrong as I am not getting any leads or feedback. After 8 months of trying and changing web site elements I am no further forward. What can I do?

Monday, April 18th, 2011

When it comes to advertising your business, remember that conveying the right message comes down to Target, Offer and Copy.

You’ve got to know the target you want to reach, which is the most important element.

Then you’ve got to develop an offer that appeals to them.

Finally, that ad must contain copy that conveys your message to your target. Focus on each area in descending order of importance and you should be able to write ads that sell.

No matter what platform you are using, marketing is all about educating and informing your potential customers, target market and suspects, what you do and why they should do business with you.

The internet is just one tool you can use to reach that goal, but in this day and age, it is as powerful and important a tool as any.

You can develop ebooks about your business, spelling out the benefits of doing business with you, and give those ebooks away through a squeeze page.

A squeeze page is designed to help you capture leads, while giving something away to those that sign up.

You can also set up a blog and position yourself as an expert in your industry.

In your blog, you can talk about important events and innovations and make a name for yourself just by talking about things that matter to your potential customers.

Remember, people buy from people, so you need to build relationships and online is a great way to do just that.

You can also get your message to your target market by using social media, such as a Facebook fan page and asking your customers to find you there.

Once you have your page going, pick topics relevant to your business, but interesting to potential customers, and start discussion about them, or at least give your opinion.

If you make your message interesting enough, you’ll soon have people seeking you out to hear what you have to say and it’s the next logical step that they would buy from you once they’ve built that relationship.

Of course, using the internet is just one way to find more customers.

You can join trade associations, the local chamber of commerce or other community groups.

You should also seek out opportunities to speak for groups, to help you build a network of contacts and personal relationships.

Meet as many people as you can in your target markets. Look for ways to help them. When someone does buy from you, service them better than they expect. Get their repeat business, and referrals.

All the Best,
Brad Sugars

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I recently started a new pool care business. Breaking into an existing market place has been a little tougher than first thought. We subscribe to a service that provides us direct information on where the majority of pools are in our area and we have used a number of techniques to try and grab some of this growing pool care market. I am not completely happy with our growth and no one particular medium is returning spectacular results. We have tried many different ways to grow, but many were expensive and returned minimal results. I am now contemplating a direct mail out letter (although we do not have names only addresses) and a door knock? Just to say hello (not hard sell). So many of my customers have complained about some of the other pool care services in my area which is why I got their business, and I have personally gone out of my way with each new lead to give them the “wow” factor with my service. But again my high level of service is not generating leads. What can I do to turn this around?

Friday, April 8th, 2011

What regular services are you providing to existing clients? Have you got a loyalty program in place, do you ask for referrals?

I’ve a friend who runs a similar company to yours and they have built their business around service.

They have developed a loyal base of customers who refer them to everyone the business to everyone they know who has a pool or spa/hot tub.

They have a 10 trip card so after the 10th bag of product they get 50% off the next. They also have a reminder system to tell customers it is time to have their filters checked and serviced.

You said you give great ‘wow’ service, but you get no leads from your customers?

Interesting…

Ask yourself, is the ‘wow’ really ‘wow’ for them?

It might help to sit down with a few of your customers and really find out everything they want from the pool care service and what makes your business unique.

Use any complaints customers might have as part of your unique selling point. If they’re concerned about quality or service, address those concerns directly in your marketing material and make it work for you. Most importantly, take their advice to heart.

Remember, great service must be great service in your customers’ eyes – not yours.

Doing this exercise will lead you onto the next level of customer service, when you achieve it make sure you ask your customers for referrals – they should be happy to give them then.

All the best,
Brad Sugars

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My wife & I have been operating a health spa for about 3 years now. Since the middle of last year, we began to feel a drastic decline in our customer visits and sales. What is the best method to improve the situation? These days we basically rely only on walk-ins and obviously that isn’t working.

Thursday, April 7th, 2011

It is around six times more cost effective to get an existing customer to come back than to find a new customer, so what are you doing to encourage repeat business from the customers that DO come in?

Repeat customers are the people who will make you rich and your business successful by referring their friends to you, so if you aren’t getting enough of them, some things have to change.

Where is your plan to help you get the customers you both need and want, instead of just hoping for walk-ins?

If people aren’t coming back to your spa, they probably aren’t receiving any extra value from doing business with you, so how can you change that?

They can probably find another spa, one that might be cheaper, better located or one that just makes them feel more comfortable, so you have to find something that sets your business apart from the competition and shout it loudly so everyone will hear what makes your business unique.

Once you have your unique selling point (USP), it’s time to move to strategies you can use to cultivate repeat business.

One method used often in your industry is pre-booking.

After a customer receives a service and while they are paying, pre-booking is a system that, through a scripted conversation, leads to the customer booking their next appointment with you.

Simply saying something like, “This service should last for about four weeks, so let’s book your next appointment for four weeks from now. Would that Wednesday be good for you?” is a great way to ensure that a one- time customer returns to your business.

Also, follow up with your customers by calling them a few days later to see if they were happy with their service.

Most of the time customers that aren’t happy simply won’t come back, but if you address their concerns and promise them a better experience the next time, they are far more likely to try you again.

Once, you’ve figured the issues that are plaguing the service in your business and solved them, it’s time to find the right target market and reach them with your business’ message.

But don’t rush this step. It can be very costly if you don’t do it correctly.

Consider this seriously by first asking yourself who your ideal customer would be?

What do they look like, where do they shop, how old are they, how often will they visit your spa and how much will they spend when they are there?

These are just a few questions to help you get started, but, remember, if you don’t know who your target market, or ideal customer base would be, how will you ever reach them with your message?

I hope this helps and reading “Instant Cashflow” can offer you many more strategies to help you move forward. Let us know how you make out.

All the best,
Brad Sugars

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My wife and I operate an Adult Store in a suburb of a major city. Our store opened 12 months ago. It has slowly grown in turnover, but it is just not turning over anywhere near enough. The store is attractive from the front, well laid out, and has the biggest range of goods in town, including the biggest DVD library in town. Our point of difference is we sell exclusive lingerie, costumes and jewelry and keep them in stock. We have priced goods so they are about 20-30% less than other Adult shops in the area and our exclusive lingerie, shoes, costumes etc are cheaper than can be found in the area. Our city and its surroundings have an overall population of about 70,000 and there are four other Adult shops. We were the fourth one to open and only one appears to do well, in my estimation because it is part of a name chain of Adult Stores. Over the last 12 months we have poured everything back into business and increased our stock levels, but we are now experiencing an extreme cashflow problem. How can we get this moving again? Access to cash is limited as we barely get enough to pay overheads, personal living costs and can only make a small dent in outstanding bills each week. Any thoughts or ideas on how to get a massive increase in cashflow etc to allow the business to survive?

Friday, April 1st, 2011

I can give you some ideas, but let me first ask, is there a market for your business in the first place?

It sounds to me like there is a lot of competition in your market and customer loyalty is a significant factor for you to overcome.

You’ve got to do your homework and figure out exactly who your customers are and why would they buy from you. You can’t just offer a product and expect people to buy it, even if you’re more convenient and your price point is lower.

You entered an already crowded market and in that kind of environment, you have to make it easy for them to buy and knowing who, what, why, where, when and how of your potential customers is vital in doing just that.

You have some points of difference and accentuating those may be the way to help dig yourself out of the cashflow issues that are affecting your business.

You could change the focus of your business to specialize in the areas where you have points of difference, developing a niche market in your area that needs your products and services.

For instance, since one of your points of difference is your exclusive lingerie line, change the focus of your business to selling your exclusive lingerie to that market.

Limit your stock to selling lingerie and costumes and providing the best possible service in those areas, making your shop the place to go in town for lingerie. Offer to get hard to find items, train your staff and turn your business into an upscale lingerie boutique.

If you went forward with that idea, you could develop strategic alliances or host/beneficiary strategies with salons, women’s clothing stores and spas and you could even throw special, private buying parties for your customers.

That’s just one idea, but the basic point is you have to find a niche market and make it easy for them to buy from you.

Remember, no matter what you sell, there is no business until you have customers, so don’t be afraid to try new strategies to get your customers in the door and then give them value, real or perceived, just so long as that value is something they can’t find in your competition.

All the best,
Brad Sugars

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At the moment my company is going back to basics, doing face to face selling with follow up appointments etc. The problem we are facing is keeping us motivated. It is a very competitive industry and we get a lot of “No’s” every day. I’ve tried a number of methods to motivate ourselves and we go through good periods, but then we will slack off again. We just keep doing the bare minimum required to get by and so far we have survived for almost 2 years in this way. I’m getting tired of just surviving though. I want my business to be more and I want to get more out of it. What can I do to find that motivation on a consistent basis and turn my business into the money-maker it should be?

Thursday, March 31st, 2011

There are a number of issues that occur to me when I read your question. First, if motivation is a serious problem, what was your motivation to start the business in the first place?

What is the purpose of your business, and I don’t mean what product do you sell?

The purpose of your business should be to provide you and your family with the income and lifestyle you desire. If it isn’t achieving that, it may be time to reevaluate your situation.

There’s nothing wrong with taking a step back, getting a job and regrouping. By doing this, you may be able to regain that motivation for your next business, by learning while you earn a paycheck.

If you choose to stay in the business, with new insight into what really motivates you, you have to find ways to work smarter, not harder.

Beating your head against a wall, or constantly going on negative sales calls can be very tough on the psyche, so maybe it’s time to reassess the process you use to get clients. Maybe you need to qualify those leads a little better.

Have you measured how many appointments it takes to get a “yes”?

Finding the right type and amount of clients is a numbers game. First you have to target the right market, but once you do that, people will still say no. The key is to know how many sales calls it takes to get a “yes”, and then start to plan around that.

Keeping track of these numbers will also tell us your conversion rate and the higher rate at which you convert leads into customers the cheaper it will be to bring new leads to your business.

The next thing is to figure out is how many touches do you have with each prospect before you show up for an appointment?

If the answer is less than seven, you most likely need to add some steps to your sales process because you aren’t building the type of relationship with those people that you need to have.

Finally, do you have a sales process that you follow? Where do most people fall off in the sales process, at the beginning, the close or somewhere along the way? Use this information to figure out exactly where your process is failing.

All the best,
Brad Sugars

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I’m planning to open a promotion gallery in the near future. This would be my first business, and I don’t have any knowledge about starting an art gallery business. My question is what are the main things I have to do? I already have a very good gallery space, so that would not be a problem. Can you advise me about art marketing, business plan, management etc?

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

Before you start working toward opening your gallery, ask yourself if there’s a market for what you plan to sell. A business doesn’t exist because of its logo or building, a business exists because of customers. It’s a very simple thought but you must remember that without customers, there is no business, so you have to be sure that there will be a market for what you offer.

Once you’ve decided that there is a market to take advantage of, it’s time to put together a business plan. Having a good business plan is a must because you can’t get to where you need to go if you don’t know how to get there. Failing to have a good plan is the number one reason for business’ failures.

A good plan will force you to do a lot of work before you open, which will help you after you open. You can purchase software to help you write a good plan or you can contact a business development agency near you that may have suggestions. No matter how you formulate it, your business plan should address at least the following sections:

1. Executive Summary – Summarizes the other sections of your plan and includes a request from whoever may be reading your plan.

2. Company Background – Provides a general overview of your business — company history and what is the vision/purpose for the future.

3. Products & Services – What is the business going to sell? You need to talk specifics and hit every possible point. Describe the market, competitors and suppliers, as well as what is unique about what you are selling that will help you be successful.

4. Marketing Plan – This should address the three P’s of marketing: your Product (what you are selling), your Price (how much will you charge), and your Promotion (how will you get customers to buy). Some people add a fourth “P” for place, or where will you sell, but in today’s information age, place isn’t really a limitation on businesses anymore.

5. Operations Plan – Who will run the business and how will it be structured? What kind of personnel will you need? Who will your vendors and suppliers be? What is the equipment needed?

6. Management – What kind of experience do your managers have? Since this is your first business, you will likely need a “Board of Directors” or at least some advisors that can give you a better standing with anyone who lends you money and a better understanding of business in general.

7. Financial Forecast – You’ll need a three-year projection of revenues and expenses and you’ll need to be able to justify how you came up with them. What kind of assumptions did you make to come up with the numbers? What needs to happen for you to achieve the forecast – new locations, contracts with artists, sales growth?

I hope this gives you something to start with.

All the best,
Brad Sugars

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Hi Brad, Can you tell me what a Host/Beneficiary strategy is?

Friday, March 25th, 2011

A host/beneficiary strategy means partnering up with another business and offering something that is free or discounted to that business to gain access to their database of customers.

This strategy is advantageous to both businesses because while the first business has the opportunity to “buy” new customers at a cheaper acquisition cost than advertising, the other business gives the impression to its customers that they have gone out of their way to provide extra value and something special.

For a more detailed explanation, you can read my book, Instant Leads.

But before you go and buy the book, let me offer a bit of clarification. You can profit from being either the Host (introducing new things to your existing customers) or the Beneficiary (offering your services or products to someone else’s database) but there are two questions to ask yourself before you embark on this strategy.

First, what do people need just before or after my service? This can help you find other companies who offer those items, making the relationship more effective.

Next, ask yourself what other business, that isn’t competing with me, is already selling to the customers I want? When you get your answers to those two questions, approach those businesses with the idea of being the beneficiary of their customer loyalty.

All the best,
Brad Sugars

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