| Sales Information | Let us create a 3d Digital eBook for you! DigyCat.com |
|
|
|
Understanding The Corporate Buyer
Selling your services to corporations is an attractive proposition. The contracts are larger than with small businesses and individuals, and often longer-term. There's the possibility of repeat business worth many billable hours at respectable rates. But the best clients are not always the easiest to get. If you don't grasp the realities of the corporate environment, you may sabotage even a hot lead. Here are five important keys to working with the corporate buyer. 1. Managers are busy. This is just as true in economic downturns as during a boom. When business is slow, unnecessary employees get laid off. The people left behind have to pick up the slack. Busy people ignore unsolicited email and letters, and will not return your phone calls. Even when you are in the final stages of closing a deal, your contact may not return your calls for weeks. If you accept this as normal behavior instead of obsessing about how you may have caused it, you will sleep better at night and use your daylight hours more productively. 2. Hot buttons open doors. If you want to capture the interest of a busy person, you need to tell them exactly how you can help them. Calling just to introduce yourself will not get their attention. What do the people in your target market perceive to be the greatest problems they face, or the biggest goals they wish to achieve? Ask these questions of the people you serve and the other businesspeople who serve them. Read trade literature or special interest publications and educate yourself on the key issues in your marketplace. Then tell your prospects in every communication how you can help address these needs. 3. Every choice must be justified. When you sell to the owner of a small business or to an individual for his or her own use, your buyer is free to make purchasing decisions based on instinct, whim, or gut feeling. But every corporate sale must be justified to someone else in the organization. A supervisor must justify choices to a manager, the manager to an executive, the executive to the CEO, the CEO to the board, the board to the shareholders. Each one of these people wants to look good to the next link up the chain, and dreads making a public mistake. If you want your sale to go through, you need to provide your contact with EVIDENCE why you and your solution are the best choice. 4. The bottom line rules. When you provide your evidence, it had better include dollars and cents. If you are more expensive than your competition, what added value will you provide? If hiring you will cost more than solving the company's problem in some other way, what tangible benefits will they receive that make the added expense worthwhile? Individuals and small businesses buy services in the category of nice-to-have, often to improve their quality of life or that of their employees. Corporations, especially in lean times, don't. You must sell them something they actually NEED and prove how it will enhance their bottom line. Real-life examples of results at other companies can speak volumes. Illustrations with charts and graphs are more convincing than any brochure. 5. No budget; no project. Even when the company needs what you have and thinks you're the best one for the job, the deal won't go through if there's no money in the budget. You can ask your contact to try for a budget variance, but no budget usually means your project will be deferred until the next fiscal year. Always ask if the client has a budget at the first meeting. Don't necessarily expect them to tell you how much it is -- price negotiations will come later. But if your contact can't answer budget questions, it's also a strong clue you are not talking to the decision-maker. About The Author C.J. Hayden is the author of Get Clients NOW! Since 1992, C.J. has been teaching business owners and salespeople to make more money with less effort. She is a Master Certified Coach and leads workshops internationally. Read more of her articles at http://www.getclientsnow.com
MORE RESOURCES: Sales - Google News What Nintendo's 2011 sales mean for Wii U, third parties - Gamasutra
Orchids Paper Products Company Reports Record Quarterly Converted Product ... - Sacramento Bee
Apotex pays Bristol, Sanofi damages over Plavix - Wall Street Journal
Beer sales could be boon for Arizona's universities - AZ Central.com
Fed Sells $6.2 Billion of Bonds From AIG Rescue to Goldman - San Francisco Chronicle
iPhone on Sprint: Great for sales, terrible for profits - Christian Science Monitor
Wells Fargo's Carroll eyes cross-selling by brokers - Reuters
Las Vegas Still Selling More Homes in January, Yet Prices Still Declining - World Property Channel
Newsstand Report: Sales Down Across the Board, Elle Plumets 18%, and ... - Fashionista
Average Salespeople “Fly By The Seat Of Their Pants” - Utah Pulse
|
RELATED ARTICLES
9 Ways to Keep Clients Coming Back For More A lot of effort is put into getting new clients. We all know our client base will change. How to Acquire More Leads The most effective prospecting techniques were revealed inthe August 1st, 2002, issue of TIP (URL at end of article)that resulted from a survey of financial advisors earning over $200,000 annually.Here's how they rated the following techniques:100. Im A Second-Story Man Can you say who you are and what you do in twosentences or less?If someone should ask (in an elevator, get it?)what do you do? You should be able to recite theanswer as fast as Robin Williams comes up with aquick one liner.Robin Williams can do it because he has rehearsedevery line. Nine Keys to Make your Sales Copy Convincing Would you pay $12,500 to discover the keys to great sales copy? Maybe not, but Brian Keith Voiles did. And he put it to use for Fortune 500 Companies. Sales Letters - How to Write Them You could just send out your brochure to potential customersbut it's much better to personalise your mailing with a wellwritten sales letter.Personalise - Using the person's name in a sales letter willgive you the greatest success. How to Really Benefit from Associations (Part 1 of 3-Part Series) Looking for new leads, new contacts, new business opportunities? Do what nine out of 10 adults do, according to a recent article by the American Society of Association Executives. Join an Association. Selling More CDs at Gigs, Case Study: The Rogues A few weekends back, the Brobdingnagian Bards performed at the Austin Celtic Festival. We shared the stage with some amazing bands, but at the very top of my list were The Rogues. Building an Action Plan Going into your workday and waiting for things to happen, and then reacting to them is not a very productive way of doing things. You may as well be going into your workday blind. The Hands On Approach While living in the technology age where everything is computerized, digitized, and auto-responded, it is very easy to forget where we came from, and how all of this progress has almost completely wiped out the personal touch.In this article, I am going to discuss three different ways to reach out and touch your customers and get their attention in ways you could never do even with all of todays modern technology. Whats Your Clients Style? When it comes to effective selling, one simple fact never changes: Selling is a relationship business. You already know all about your company's products and services - and you've learned the fundamental aspects of the sales cycle. Psychological Tricks in Selling ----------------------------------------------------------Permission is granted for the below article to forward,reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website,offer as free bonus or part of a product for sale as longas no changes are made and the byline, copyright, and theresource box below is included. ---------------------------------------------------------- Psychological Tricks in Selling By Stephen Bucaro In this article, I'm revealing six powerful secretpsychological tricks that you can use to increase theeffectiveness of your advertising and marketing. Whats So Special About You? Defining Your USP Your prospect is in the market for a widget, just like the one you sell. She surfs over to Google (or picks up her Yellow Pages) and looks up "widgets. Why Write a Sales Letter for Each Product? Authors/publishers are great at getting their books written. Entrepreneurs know their products. How To Profit From Initial Consultations "I'd love to work with you, but?"How many times have you heard these words? As a professional service provider looking to grow your business, isn't it sometimes frustrating to hold an initial session with someone who you'd love to work with but the potential client has a whole list of reasons why s/he would love to work with you, but??As in, "I'd love to, but.. Now Is A Great Time To Sell! Its official. The news just came out. 8 Part Strategy For Constructing Your Advertising Message Strategies to help produce your brochure, advertisment or direct mail. And make it achieve more sales. The Benefits of Metal Store Fixtures Your choice of materials for store fixtures includes wood, metal, plastic and conglomerate materials such as pressed wood and fiberboard. Depending upon your budget, the weight and size of the product being displayed and the style of your retail establishment, one of these raw materials will serve your needs well. 7 Strategies for Writing Fundraising Letters Writing fundraising letters can be an effective way to request donations to a charitable cause. Letters are used for a variety of purposes and can be sent to a large number of people or a select few. Sales Copy Tips Writing good sales copy is not an art, it is a science. There is no reason to get creative here. Never Stop Selling The question: "When should a growing company slow down its sales function and focus solely on delivery?"The answer: "Never!"When fast growth is the focus of your company, the only constant is that you will always, and I mean always, need more sales. It doesn't matter how full the sales pipeline looks, you need more sales. |
|
Looking For Royalty Free Photos for your Website, Business or Advertising?
List4Sale Domain Is For Sale - $10,000 For Enquiries eMail Us © www.List4Sale.biz 2011 |