In today's economy
many companies are working harder than ever
to turn prospects into customers and leads into
sales. Unfortunately, many are also making a
lot of mistakes along the way. This month's
article examines five surprisingly common ways
in which companies decrease their sales and
profits.
Linda Coss
949-699-2749
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5
Easy Ways to Prevent Sales |
Does
your company have a "Sales Prevention Department"?
Even if you don't have a formal department with
this name, if your organization's actions are
preventing sales then the net effect is the
same. Here are 5 easy ways to sabotage your
sales efforts:
Be
Rude and Unprofessional. This is
probably the easiest, most sure-fire way to
prevent sales. Have you ever walked out of
a store (or hung up the phone) because the
sales staff was obnoxious? I have. And so
will your potential customers.
Avoid
Marketing. A successful marketing
program will introduce potential customers
to the benefits of doing business with you
and produce a steady stream of qualified leads.
If you're not marketing, your sales pipeline
will dry up.
Waste
Sales Leads. Once you get these precious
leads, what do you do with them? I'm amazed
that companies will go to trade shows, run
ads, attend networking events, entice people
to join their email mailing lists, etc. -and
then drop the ball once the leads come in.
What a waste of time, money, and effort! All
leads should be followed up as soon as possible,
preferably within 24 hours.
Ignore
Your Customers' Needs. What are your
customers looking for? Better, cheaper, faster?
A high-end luxury experience? Someone to hold
their hand through a high-tech process? 24/7
access to your staff? Whatever it is, you've
got to deliver. Because if you don't, your
competition will.
Focus
on Features Instead of Benefits.
I've said it before and I'll say it again:
You've got to focus on the benefits of whatever
it is that you're selling. All your prospective
customer wants to know is "what's in
it for me?"
Hopefully you don't recognize your company
in this list. But if you do, now's the time
to make some changes!
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Customer
Spotlight:
BlueRock Coaching & Consulting Group |
BlueRock Coaching
& Consulting Group helps organizations achieve
extraordinary results. Mike Brenhaug, BlueRock's
founder, understands that if you want to avoid
"sales prevention" and other serious
problems, you must ensure that your organization's
people have the skills they need. People are
the key to your success!
BlueRock provides small- to mid-size businesses
as well as individuals with consulting, training,
and coaching. To learn more, take a look at
the website
that I wrote for them.
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2008 Linda Marienhoff Coss |
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About Linda |
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Linda Coss is a freelance marketing writer who helps businesses become more profitable by writing persuasive, targeted and effective messages for their brochures, websites, letters, ads, fliers, press releases, newsletters and other written materials.
Whether you need something written "from scratch" or want a professional to edit what you've created, Linda is your on-call marketing writer.
For more information
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