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Build A Buzz Around Your Business And Profits Will Soar No Matter What

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In the film industry, movies are products. For business owners, it is interesting and useful to consider what makes a new movie successful. How do studios today reach that incredible goal of one billion in total box office receipts? It’s quite simple; they build a buzz around the product. This is what you need to do with your product. The best recent example is Suicide Squad. Suicide Squad is Warner Bros product, and it’s just been slammed by critics. Should they care, should they be worried it’s not going to sell? Actually no, because they’ve already done their job. The marketing has built a buzz. There have been viral strategies in place for over a year. They’ve had millions of views on YouTube, and it came out as the top brand in a recent marketing event. All this points to one fact. Warner Bros have got themselves a hit, whether critics like it or not. This is a valuable lesson all business owners should learn. It doesn’t matter whether you’re selling a product of high quality, if you can establish a high demand, it will sell. How do you do this?

Social Media Marketing

Build A Buzz Around Your Business And Profits Will Soar No Matter WhatPhoto courtesy of Pixabay

If you want to build a buzz around your new product or business, you should start by looking at social media. You need to use your social media networks in two ways. You should be connecting with your customers on a regular basis, and you should be releasing content that they want to share and view. You can use each social media network in various ways. For instance, on Facebook, you can create discussion or group pages. Groups can be powerful marketing tools, particularly if you fill the group with influential members. People who your customers will trust and will want to hear from. An extra tip is to not add these people to the group yourself. Rather, you need them to join independently. This is the best way to ensure that they are an active member of the group. They will generate the buzz around your business for you.

On Twitter, it is crucial that you use hashtags, although not in every tweet. This can get annoying. At the same time, though, it’s useful to know that hashtags make it more likely for content to be shared. If your content is shared, more people will be talking about your business or your product. It is an easy way to generate more interest in your company.

Live feeds are becoming more important as well. Live feeds are often used as a backdoor into the company. You can show your customers what is happening behind the scenes and make the business more accessible. If you can do this, it could be very valuable. Customers always want to see the people behind the corporation. If you have interesting individuals working for you, it’s a great way to build a buzz.

Content

Build A Buzz Around Your Business And Profits Will Soar No Matter WhatPhoto courtesy of DigitalRalph via Flickr

The key to great content that generates talk and publicity is to make sure that it’s targeted. You need to write and create content specifically for your target consumer. Think about the people who don’t need to be primed to buy your product. This is who the content needs to be aimed towards. You might be offering SEO services. If that’s the case, then your business is going to appeal to local and international entrepreneurs or business owners. You might also catch the interest of bloggers and website owners. Since these are your target customers, you need to think about what is appealing to them. The best way to do this is to create a context around your marketing. Business owners are probably unaware of the difficulties of SEO. By pointing things out such as Google penalties, you can persuade them to use a professional service. This is just one example of how content can get your business the buzz it needs. You will be offering your consumers the solutions to their problems.

More Than A Business Space

Build A Buzz Around Your Business And Profits Will Soar No Matter WhatPhoto courtesy of Pexels

You should be aiming for your business venue to be more than just space. It needs to shine on the high street, particularly if you are part of a retail company. It is all about offering customers more and taking your service that extra mile. If you own a physical space as a business, creating an online buzz won’t do the trick. You have to get the customers through the door to buy and to do that you may want to look at these great tips from The POET Companies. Agencies like this know what customers want and what they’re looking for. Once you have redesigned the space, then you can start generating a buzz around it online before it reopens.

Marketing Events

Build A Buzz Around Your Business And Profits Will Soar No Matter WhatPhoto courtesy of Charles & Hudson via Flickr

We have already mentioned how the film industry uses marketing events to create a buzz. Every industry has the potential to do this, and it is a possibility that you should be looking into. A marketing event is the chance to make your company shine over other businesses. You can attract attention from investors and consumers at the same time. Obviously one of the key marketing events that you need to know about is a trade show. You can use a trade show to generate a buzz by showing off a new product or a new business model. Remember, though; trade shows are highly competitive environments. You will need to deliver something truly special to win the attention of customers and investors. One possibility is to utilize available technology. With the right tech, you can make your business seem modern and exciting. Even using older ideas could generate this effect such as 3D. 3D is fairly cheap tech these days, and it could bring your marketing into an entirely new dimension.

These are just some of the techniques you can use to create a buzz around a company or a product. As you can see, it is all about perception. If you alter the perception of your product, customers will buy anything. We have seen this time and time again in different industries. With the right marketing and promotion, you’ll always get the sale.

Do you have the character and characteristics of sales success?

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Here is list of sales success characteristics.

They represent the elements of what will make a salesperson successful.

But here’s the secret – before you make judgments about others and how they compare to the list, FIRST judge yourself. Measure yourself against the elements that make salespeople who they are, and successful at what they do. And for those of you who hire salespeople, a checklist of the real things to look for in a potentially successful person.

NOTE WELL: If you want to succeed, you and whoever you hire better be somewhere between 8 and 10 (on a 1-10 scale) on every one of these characteristics.

With that in mind, here’s a list of 13.5 individual characteristics that would make any person a “hire”able and “succeed”able salesperson (you included).

1. Smart. Salespeople have to be smart enough to think on the spot, and deal with every kind of situation as it happens. CAUTION: Very experienced salespeople, who think they know everything, are most vulnerable to be beaten by a smart person with hustle.

2. Self-Starting. Great salespeople don’t need “motivation.” They have a built in fire – that’s somewhere between a cup of Death Wish Coffee and a Red Bull. Nobody has to tell them what to do. They know what to do. And they do it. They make the first call of the day, and the last call of the day.

3. Great Attitude. Great salespeople believe they will make every sale. Great salespeople take “no” as “not yet.” Great salespeople accept every lemon thrown at them by management, customers, and accounting – and use those lemons to open up a lemonade stand. A great salesperson is able to take everybody else’s crap, and somehow turn it into money.

4. Excellent Communication Skills. Great salespeople are not “good” communicators. They’re great communicators. Their message is both compelling and transferable. Their passion and their belief system is as contagious as their enthusiasm. And they’re able to articulate in a way that gets customers to buy, more often than not.

5. Physically and Mentally Fit. The statement speaks for itself and implies that you work out on a regular basis working your mind and your body. Exercising your mind and body before you get to work (push-ups and brain-ups) so that you feel good and that good feeling is projected every time you interact with a customer.

6. Computer, Tablet and Smartphone Literate. There’s no excuse for a lack of computer literacy other than stubbornness and laziness. The internet will rule the economic world for at least the next decade. And those who ignore this fact will find themselves completely unemployable after they get fired from their present job.

7. Focused and Intention Driven. Having a goal is a basic fundamental element. Intending to achieve it is the motive to achieve it. Having a plan is a basic fundamental element. Intending to implement it is the motive to put it into action. Keeping your eye on the prize and working towards it steadily is what separates those who do and those who don’t. “Goals without intention and focus,” is like an automobile without gasoline. It looks pretty, but it can’t get you anywhere. Intention is the fuel that will take you from where you are to your goal, your destination, to where you want to be.

8. Dedicated to Succeeding. With great salespeople, it’s not just a matter of goals. It’s a matter of focus on outcome and achievement. Multiple achievements lead to success, and a self-confidence that keeps the momentum going from sale to sale.

9. Past History of Success. Every time a great salesperson makes a sale, it remains in their self-confidence memory bank and can be called upon for positive energy in any situation. The more you succeed, the more your success is likely to continue.

10. Looking for a Career, Not a Job. If a salesperson has a base salary and a commission, the job person wants a raise in their base pay. The career person wants a raise in their commission.

11. More Interested in Personal Success and Personal Development, Than Money. Salespeople who work for money rarely achieve it. Great salespeople work to be their best, and dedicate themselves to that process daily. And as a result, earn tons.

12. A Constant Student: Willing to Learn and Adapt. Great salespeople know there is always more to learn. They dedicate themselves to being better, being best. Great salespeople know that learning from their past allows them to adapt and be ready for new encounters and new challenges. It’s the difference between “already knowing everything” and “life-long learner.”

13. Taking Joy in Serving Others. This is the “master” quality. One of the best salespeople I’ve ever known is John Ruhlin. He created and is the master of Giftology, and loves to serve.

13.5 A Great Social Presence and Reputation. Easier stated: “google-able” by you and any customer they might visit. They know social media, have a social understanding, and participate daily in learning, posting, and reputation building.

Notice one characteristic missing? Sales skills. I’d rather have attitude and brains than selling skills any day. I can teach someone to sell. I can’t teach them to be smart or happy.

Easier answer. Compare these qualifications to the best salesperson you ever knew. Compare them to the best salesperson you ever had. Compare them to yourself. Ouch.

Now that you know the criteria, you have some work to do.

If you’d like examples of how to discover and breed great salespeople go to www.gitomer.com – register if you’re a first time user – and enter the word SALES CHARACTER in the GitBit box.

Reprinted with permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer.

About the Author

Jeffrey GitomerJeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, Customer Satisfaction is Worthless Customer Loyalty is Priceless, The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Red Book of Sales Answers, The Little Black Book of Connections, The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude, The Little Green Book of Getting Your Way, The Little Platinum Book of Cha-Ching, The Little Teal Book of Trust, The Little Book of Leadership, and Social BOOM! His website, www.gitomer.com, will lead you to more information about training and seminars, or email him personally at [email protected].

The Disadvantages of Using E-mail to Sell

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Some sales people think using email to sell everything is the best idea. But the truth is…it’s really not. It is not a good idea to replace calls with emails when contacting a potential new client. Some people use email to sell products, to avoid the humiliation of rejection. Also the major disadvantage of taking this approach is that there can be a possibility of not getting an email while awaiting a transaction related to a sales process.

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About the Author

John MontanaJohn Montana has been a successful salesman since 1990. He currently lives with his wife and travels between Chicago and Los Angeles. He created his site – ABMSNOW to offer tips and ideas on how to become better at selling… no matter what your product is.

The non-secret formula that makes a great salesperson

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Why are salespeople great?
What makes salespeople successful?
What characteristics make up a sales superstar?

Wouldn’t you like to know the answer to these questions?
So would every salesperson.
So would every sales leader.
So would every person who hires a salesperson.

By understanding what criteria sales managers and business owners look for in a salesperson, you may be able to determine how those characteristics fit into your own personal success formula.

Everybody tells me they wanna hire a great salesperson. They go through the expensive gyrations of outsourcing, in-sourcing, testing, interviewing and finally hiring. Then they train with some intensive orientation and a week or two of product sales skills, investing all the while in their hopeful rookie. Yet the turnover rate of salespeople is pegged at 74% in the first year. So evidently, there’s a gap between who you think is great, and who is actually great.

I’ve been collecting great salesperson characteristics from many different sales managers and entrepreneurs. They’ll all give me “hiring” criteria and characteristics. But what they really mean is, “I need this person to have these skills in order to succeed in my company.”

QUESTION: Do you hire for skills, and fire for attitude? Why don’t you hire for attitude and train the skill? I have encountered hundreds of salespeople who claim to be great. Many of them are cynical and broke. The ones who really are great, don’t have to brag about it. They carry their own water, chop their own wood, mind their own business, and don’t have to talk about how great they are, because they have a positive attitude, a positive customer base, a positive success record, and a positive bank account to prove it. Their results do the talking.

It’s funny that every person who has ever bragged to me about what a great salesman or saleswoman they are, has never bragged to me about what a great person they are. And if I’m doing the hiring, I’m going to start with a great person, not a great salesperson.

The lesson here is that attitude and work ethic are more important than sales skill. If they have a great attitude, and a solid work ethic, they will accept learning new skills as a way of life and a path to success. If a person’s attitude is lacking, they fall into the category of “you can’t teach an old (sales)dog new tricks.”

And then there’s the character of the person. If you have a great salesperson with a rotten character, what do you do? You fire them, that’s what you do.

Here’s an easy unscientific answer to uncover the skill set, criteria, and characteristics of a great salesperson. Go back, and list the best ten salespeople you have ever known. Don’t forget to include yourself. Leave some space to list their characteristics. Maybe make a spreadsheet listing their names across the top of the page. Then compile your list of great characteristics down the side, and begin checking boxes for each salesperson.

When you begin to chart the characteristics of great salespeople you have known or hired, you’ll find that several of their characteristics are the same. Especially those of deep belief, ability to build relationships, ability to self-start, and ability to maintain a positive attitude.

You’ll also discover that every sales superstar you’ve ever known had individual characteristics or strengths that made him or her rise above the others. Maybe it was the fact she was a single mom. Maybe it was the fact he had overcome some tragedy. Or maybe it was just personal determination. Maybe it was their athleticism and their willingness to be coached that created the discipline for them to succeed.

It’s important that you list every one of these elements so that you’re able to develop a full set of criteria. This will allow you to measure that criteria against yourself, and your coworkers. It will also aid you in the selection process as you seek another sales star.

Here’s an idea: why not list all the criteria and create a self-evaluation test. Ask people (yourself included) to rate themselves in each of the sales characteristics. This will give them, and you, insight as to strengths and weaknesses, so that they (you) will know where to grow.

I’ve developed 13.5 characteristics compiled from salespeople and sales managers over the years. They will appear right here – NEXT WEEK.

Reprinted with permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer.

About the Author

Jeffrey GitomerJeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, Customer Satisfaction is Worthless Customer Loyalty is Priceless, The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Red Book of Sales Answers, The Little Black Book of Connections, The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude, The Little Green Book of Getting Your Way, The Little Platinum Book of Cha-Ching, The Little Teal Book of Trust, The Little Book of Leadership, and Social BOOM! His website, www.gitomer.com, will lead you to more information about training and seminars, or email him personally at [email protected].

Addressing Sales Productivity

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Salesforce Issues

In the B2B market space all sales leaders face similar issues and these centre on sales productivity. A significant level of revenue and margin is often produced by about 20% of the sales force. The major issues are that sales people spend too much time with customers where there is no intention to purchase. This costs time, money and absorbs sales management time. STRONGMAN© is a process which significantly reduces time wastage and improves sales productivity. Traditional sales methods of driving activity and creating pipeline are all responsible for reducing sales as opposed to increasing them!

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About the Author

Ed WalEd Wal, BSC, CIM, CIPD is a founder member of The BWD Partnership, which provides sales and marketing training. As an international speaker he has been engaged in major strategy reviews, the management of change projects and designed and implemented major training programmes in the USA, Europe and Australasia. He is the author of Solution Selling: The Strongman(c) Process. (Publisher: PG Press 3 May 2016)