*** Sales and Marketing Strategies

Many of my clients have asked me to put together a short outline of marketing strategies that have been taken from my workshops and seminars. I feel that it is important to note that the following plan of action needs consistency in application to move forward in your production goals. Although I will not cover it here, a business plan, mission statement, objective and action plan at the beginning of the year is essential to keep you focused and on track. If you don’t define where you are going, it’s difficult to reach your destination. Listed are some objectives to get you started on the road to sales and marketing success. OBJECTIVE ONE: DEVELOP A SALES PLAN Marketing a message that represents who you are and why your company stands above the rest of the industry is the first step to success. In public relations, this is called branding. A branding can be a logo, a signature, an image or a message that represents you. It is uniquely yours. Deciding upon the message you want to send to your target market takes time and thoughtfulness. What is the main message you want to communicate about yourself, your company? Find out what personality type you are. Self-knowledge is another key that helps build your confidence and presentation. You can do this by taking simple, self-assessment tests, that can be purchased on the Internet through coaching web sites such as Psychology Today or Life Scripts. This knowledge will help you capitalize upon your strengths and understand your challenges. Through reflection you will begin to find your own personal voice. Mentors are valuable assets in your learning process. Although you can model them, you can never become them. You have to find your own personal expression and infuse it into your role as a sales rep. Role playing, reading and in-field experiences allow you to know yourself and what will work best for you in delivering you message. This training will be invaluable to you. It provides a foundation for your future. Give yourself time to develop and learn. Be patient with your learning curve. Marketing is a skill and an art. Skills are developed through repetitive behavior. The art of marketing is developed through an infusion of your personality and sales skills. Practice, practice, practice. What is unique about you and your product? How will you benefit your client? What does your company have that is different from your competitors? How you present these benefits in your marketing will separate you from your competition. All of these questions will help clarify your message and bring confidence to your sales ability. Who is your ideal client? Marketing plans need to be directed specifically to the niche clients you are committed to reaching. They need to be done at the beginning of each year. If that is not possible, start where you are in the year and project your budget, business plan and specific action plan with timelines through the end of the year. You can add one new target market quarterly if that feels comfortable. Decide upon one target and get comfortable with that area before you add another. Your marketing plan should be a one-year forecast that includes your budget for marketing, a mission statement, objective and action plan. You may want to break the year into quarters. You can add an additional target client population the next quarter. This prevents you from scattering yourself in too many areas at once. Create doable goals. Nothing is as motivating as success. Allow yourself to have success through incremental changes and victories. Self-validation is a very important part of the process. And makes a very solid foundation of confidence in your own abilities. What will separate you from others will depend on many factors. Research has shown that very successful people share common traits. Some of these traits are overcoming the fear of failure, commitment to yourself, commitment to your customers, consistency, accountability, working your marketing steps daily, staying focused, being patient with yourself, keeping an eye on your goals, never giving up and self-care. Your willingness to learn, grow and to be true to yourself through balance and self-care will set you apart. It will show in your attitude, confidence and presence. Create a marketing budget for the year. Break it down into months with your budget in mind. You may want to use a postcard mailer every other month. If you want to keep within your marketing budget, you may want to do something less expensive daily. Inexpensive marketing tools can be used to supplement your marketing budget, such as, cold calling, email campaigns, Facebook, Twitter, Linke In, e-newsletters, keeping in touch with your current clients by telephone, emailing information that may be important to or helpful to your clients. Create a calling list and referral list. Keep in touch with your target markets by creating a system that you follow consistently. One of the most important commitments you can keep is to your clients by answering email, texts and phone calls promptly. OBJECTIVE TWO: GET YOUR MARKET TO NOTICE YOU You can become highly visible through problem solving, advertising, seminars, newsletters, direct mail, email campaigns and social networking. Attach yourself to high-achievers. Provide them with service that they can’t afford to lose. High-achievers need people they can count on to problem solve and be self-directed. Act before you’re asked. I work with high achievers in my coaching practice. They are always looking for people as committed to success as they are. They are on an express train to success; and inefficiency slows them down. Another important factor is being seen in your service area. You can become very visible through charity events, sponsorships, networking groups such as the Chamber of Commerce or Rotary Club and professional organizations. Your corporation may be willing to support you by providing you funding for seminars, informational lectures and continuing education credits if your customers need to keep a license or certificate. OBJECTIVE THREE: EDUCATE YOUR CLIENT ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF SIGNING WITH YOU Provide information that is needed by your clients such as new laws, improved computer software, introduce them to social networking systems such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, fulfillment promotions that will help them grow their businesses. Supporting them will support you in reaching your goals. In this way, you present yourself as a service that can provide not only the benefits of your organization but also the benefit of excellent customer service. They also see that you are consistent, interested in them and knowledgeable. OBJECTIVE FOUR: ASK YOUR CLIENT FOR REFERRALS When your client tells you what a great job you have done, tell them how much you appreciate their acknowledgement of your service. Ask them if they know others who could benefit from your expertise. Let them know that you are still interested in expanding your client base. If they like you, they will want to tell others. Excellent customer service is becoming a value of the past. You will stand out. If they know you are interested in more clients, they will help you by telling others about you. OBJECTIVE FIVE: LISTEN CAREFULLY TO THE NEEDS OF YOUR CLIENTS If you listen closely enough, your client will tell you the way to their hearts and business. Active listening skills are vital to anyone in sales. If you feel that you need assistance in developing better listening skills, reach out for support from coaches, mentors, communication classes and seminars. Marketing is driven by networking and communication skills. Research has found that the top 10 percent of sales professionals score high on emotional intelligence. If you do not like communicating with others, you probably should not be in the sales profession. Although some individuals can overcome this trait it will probably be a struggle for you OBJECTIVE SIX: NEGOTIATE A WIN FOR YOU AND YOUR CLIENT Follow through on what you said you would do for your client. Keep the client informed of your availability and the information they need to contact you when a problem arises with a transaction. If your client is not satisfied with you or your company, validate their position and negotiate the conflict. If you have made a mistake, admit it. Let go of your impulse to be defensive. We all have the impulse to automatically defend ourselves even if we are wrong. Be responsive instead of reactive. It will save you time, energy and clients. All of us make errors but not everyone will admit to them. It is refreshing when you are not defensive. It will build trust in your relationship with your client. What matters most is delivering excellent service, not being right or wrong. If you don’t have information that a client wants, admit you don’t know and tell them you will find the information. Get back to them in a timely manner. Strive to keep your agreement when you make a commitment to them. You will earn their trust and they will respect you for your courage and clarity. OBJECTIVE SEVEN: EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE Define what you believe is good customer service. Ask successful people in your field what they believe. Look at the top sales people in your corporation and ask them for mentoring on developing your skills. Develop your own format of excellent customer service. When something works, continue to use it. If it doesn’t work, get rid of it. Little by little, you will build your reputation and credibility. SUMMARY This is a brief summary of what I believe are the most important marketing strategies. There are many elements that make a person successful. Some elements are not as important as others. Without the intention to be successful, the most winning personality will be limited. Without the commitment and daily perseverance of sticking to your action plan, and timelines you will not have the consistency you need to overcome the fear that will take hold during down markets or periods of what I call ebbs in the flow. We all need a vision of our future to have a future. The vision is the design or structure of our success. Your commitment, consistency, intention, accountability and responsibility are the foundations for a successful career. Know what you want and never give up. Ten percent of every profession is at the top. Why? Is it just luck, fate, destiny? Most people at the top had a roadmap charted before they began their journey. When they met an obstacle or roadblock, they go over it, around it or through it. Being in the right place at the right time helps but only if you can see the opportunity being presented to you. Knowing what you’re looking for will help you seize the opportunity and if you don’t … when and if that happens, move beyond self-blame and regret. Learn from the challenge. Opportunities in life just keep coming around … you can count on that and take it to the bank.