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10 Reasons Why Companies Should Start Doing Business Online
With the rapid down fall of world economy and dot-com companies in recent years many brick-and-mortar companies and new start-ups ask themselves: To Be Online or Not to Be Online?
Not long time ago, I read a comment of a well-known industry...
How to Join the 5% of Internet Business Real Money Making Pro's Regardless of the Products You Sell
On the Internet business world today, you've probably heard that only an estimated 5% of netpreneurs, webmasters, or affiliates, are making any real money. If you’re not one of them, then read on and learn how you can make it too.
So, who are...
R² = EOC (Recruitment and Retention = Employer of Choice)
Copyright 2005 Rick Johnson
Problems with staffing and retention may not be due to bad hires or a low unemployment rate. In fact, they may be related to poor management insight by not recognizing your employees as a core competency in your...
Sales Success – The 5 steps
It's a common question we come across everyday: why is business getting more difficult now? Well, it all starts with your company's sales competencies. The strange thing is that many companies spend lots of money and time training its people how to...
The Six Most Common Barriers To Sales Success
There are a variety of reasons and excuses behind poor sales lead management because the $10 to $2000 companies spend to generate each business to business inquiry largely go to waste. I call them Barriers To Sales success. Here are six of the...
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Industry Pro Interview: Expanding Your Market Reach For More Sales
© Karon Thackston 2002 http://www.ktamarketing.com
Have you ever wondered how to get out of a “sales slump”? I think all of us have! One of the most common things we, as small business owners, allow ourselves to suffer through is “narrow mindedness”. We have thoughts about what our product/service is, what it does and who it serves.
When we get stuck in this mindset, we lose out on tremendous amounts of income from other markets we might not have even thought about. Bob Serling is about to shed a giant, bright, white light on this matter. Pay close attention… you will learn a LOT.
Bob is the editor of Product Development Hotline, an online newsletter that helps people create lucrative new products and services, position their products for maximum sales, and sell or license their product ideas for millions. He has helped dozens of companies create new products that fulfill their customers precise needs and position their products for greater profits.
KARON: As I've been shopping, I've overheard store managers remark, "we need to move the displays around so sales will pick up again on those items". It's true that repositioning (whether physically in a brick and mortar store or finding a new niche online) does increase attention. Tell me the reason behind this. BOB: There are two reasons. First, all promotional approaches have a natural life cycle. Response to them degrades over a period of time. So it's important to periodically test new positioning to see if it outperforms your current positioning. If it does, then by all means replace your current positioning.
Second, market conditions can dramatically affect the success of your positioning. For example, using the retail store example, in a tough economy, lobster and champagne may become more difficult to sell. But small quantities of expensive high-quality chocolate still give people a way to pamper themselves without feeling like they're breaking the bank. A position of "You can still treat yourself like a king on a pauper's budget" could be used to sell the chocolate. KARON: Would repositioning work for ANY industry? How about service-based offerings (legal firms, consulting, etc.), e-books or ad agencies? BOB: Effective positioning is a matter of finding out what matters most to your customers
or clients, then "grafting" your product or service to that message. So, yes, any product or service can be repositioned.
As an example, ad agencies do this all the time. One might position itself as the leader in high-technology, another might be the leader in customer relationship management, and a third might be known as the agency to go to for cutting edge graphics and eye-popping images. KARON: I see… so it’s a matter of focusing on what the customer really wants/need? OK… but how do you know when it's time to consider repositioning your product/service? BOB: In my company, we have a saying: "Never let your spouse, your employees, your sales people, or your cousin Lorraine tell you when to change your positioning. The only person whose vote counts is your accountant." In other words, as sales from an existing positioning begin to fall off, start testing alternative positioning. And of course, world-changing events can force an immediate change in positioning. KARON: So when we see sales tapering off, what steps do we take to reposition ourselves? BOB: As I mentioned earlier, positioning should be driven by what is most important to your customer. What goal do they want to achieve most? What is the biggest problem they're desperate to solve? Answer these questions, and your new positioning will shine through. KARON: So a little market research will go along way to answer those questions, right? Maybe conduct a survey or send emails to clients asking them what’s important to them right now. Thanks Bob!
BOB: You’re welcome, Karon. Glad to be of help!
Bob holds a patent on an advanced testing software suite that he and his partners developed and sold for millions in just 17 months, and has patents pending on a consumer product and a business service. You can get a FREE subscription to Product Development Hotline by clicking on this link: http://www.ProductDevelopmentHotline.com
About the Author
Most buying decisions are emotional. Your ad copy should be, too! Karon is Owner and President of KT & Associates who offers targeted copywriting, copy editing & ezine article services. Subscribe to KT & Associates' Ezine "Business Essentials" at BusinessEssentials-Subscribe@topica.com or visit her site at http://www.ktamarketing.com
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SellingPower.com | Solutions For Sales Management |
Targeted to sales managers and upper tier sales professionals, this magazine helps you train, educate, and motivate your sales team. |
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Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management |
The official web site of the Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management has moved to the University of Missouri, Columbia, which is the home of the ... |
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The 5 Biggest Sales Management Blunders |
Learn the biggest sales management blunders and how you can avoid them. Spending the necessary time wearing your sales manager hat will help foster a ... |
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DEI Sales Management |
Stephan Schiffman's DEI- Management Group, offers sales training tools and educational forums designed to teach: Cold Calling and Closing Techniques, ... |
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"Work your pay plan" is one of the central tenets of sales management. ... In a similar way, top managers can reconnect their sales management to ... |
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Amazon.com: Sales Management: Books: Robert J. Calvin |
Amazon.com: Sales Management: Books: Robert J. Calvin by Robert J. Calvin. |
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Amazon.com: Seven Secrets to Successful Sales Management: The ... |
Amazon.com: Seven Secrets to Successful Sales Management: The Sales Manager's Manual: Books: Jack D. Wilner by Jack D. Wilner. |
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Personal Selling and Sales Management: KnowThis.com |
KnowThis,com offers information, resources, reference and links for sales people, sales managers and other involved in managing a sales force including ... |
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Sales Training and Sales Management: KnowThis.com |
KnowThis.com offers information, resources, reference and links for anyone involved in sales training or sales management or other managing issues involving ... |
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SMR Career Services |
Sales Management Resources is a professional executive search company, dedicated to providing consumer products companies the recruitment of exceptional ... |
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SalesVantage.com: B2B Advertising, Marketing and Sales Management ... |
B2B Advertising, Marketing and Sales Management Directory, Newsfeed & Business Referral Service designed for sales, marketing & advertising executives. |
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PC World Gives Prophet Contact & Sales Manager 4 Stars · eWeek praises Prophet for building a sales management solution into Outlook for a reasonable price ... |
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Sales Management- 7 Secrets to Successful Sales Management, the ... |
7 Secrets to Successful Sales Management, written by, Jack Wilner, one of today's leading sales management trainers, coaches and consultants, ... |
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Sales Management Training |
Sales management training for the complex sale includes business development programs and sales training seminars. |
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Contact Management Software (SFA) price quotes - Free sales ... |
Contact management software buying advice and free sales management software quotes from leading suppliers. |
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Waterhouse Group - Sales Training Programs: Consultative, Value ... |
With over 20 years of experience in sales, sales management and sales training, ... Selling Success: The Journal of Sales & Sales Management ... |
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