Business Management - Marketing/Sales

When researching new business opportunities, make sure you’re asking the right questions in order to solve the right problems. That may sound easier-said-than done. But all it takes is a little business and marketing common sense to avoid this common research pitfall.

I’ve had an ever-increasing number of conversations in the last month about how things are “out there” for all of you who sell in this industry. And I understand that for many of you, it is not pretty. You are not alone.

Psst! Hey, Bill. It’s me: Your conscience. What’s going on? Are you still making excuses for not staying consistent with your prospecting efforts? What’s up with THAT? You’re having a record month BECAUSE of the consistency you showed in May.

I used to believe that you called on a prospect and provided a “presentation.” You began by telling about your employer and what the company could do. This put a huge onus on the salesperson to speak in an organized, interesting, entertaining, complete and persuasive monologue.

I can’t think of any organization that’s doing all that it could to communicate effectively with its customers. Most organizations do not score above 85 percent in communications assessments. Here are three essential rules for effective strategic marketing and communications:

Weighing the value and cost of information can help market researchers ensure their activities are as cost-effective as possible. How valuable research is depends on the reliability and validity of your findings, as well as your willingness to accept and act on these findings.

No, I am not talking about drinking an Irish Car Bomb at the bar tomorrow night. It’s a reference to a very well-known and way overused quote by Wayne Gretzky, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.”

That question comes up frequently as sales people and selling owners battle what’s become a major obstacle in their selling efforts—voice mail. While the question surprises me, my answer is always the same: Absolutely! Why? Well, let’s look at the factors involved in prospecting success.

One of the most important strategic moves any organization can make, regardless if it’s a corporate giant or a solo consultancy, is to be able to harness the power of new media tools to know and understand what clients are thinking

If you're active on a few social networking sites, you can continuously learn about your particular market and what the business trends are. You'll find out what prospects and even customers think about communications media. You'll come across people talking about your industry and maybe even your business.