AVOID THE BIGGEST SALES MISTAKES

No business can survive without people who sell the company's product or service, and no salesperson survives for very long making the same mistakes again and again. Here are some of the most common, and most damaging, mistakes a salesperson can make:

Lack of preparation.
What do you plan to tell your prospect about your product/service? Develop a working outline that highlights all the benefits you offer. Then do some research on the prospect: Look at their annual reports, and check the trade journals for helpful information.

Not Listening
Don't fall into the trap of thinking that your job is to talk and the prospect's role is to sit silently and listen to your presentation. Let the prospect tell you what his or her needs are, then look for ways to meet those requirements.

Not asking for the order
Many salespeople forget this simple step. Nothing is wrong with asking the prospect to take you up on your offer, as long as you're not too pushy about it.

Moving too quickly
Instant rapport is difficult to achieve. Instead of trying to turn the prospect into a "buddy" right away, concentrate on maintaining a professional attitude Let the relationship develop naturally.
Not customizing the presentation to the
prospect's needs
A generic presentation isn't as convincing as one personally tailored to your prospect's business.

Poor follow-up
Too many salespeople close one deal and go on to the next without ever talking to the prospect again. Keep track of your sales, and call prospects back to make sure they're satisfied, and to see if you can help them with other products/services from your company.

Not thanking the customer for his/her order
Too frequently salespeople forget the simple courtesy of a "thank you". Active customers are the best source for additional sales as well as for referrals. Customers should be treated like gold, nurtured, and made an active part of a relationship-building activity.

Avoiding the above pitfalls will not guarantee success but will go a long way to help optimize the potential success of your sales efforts.

Spring Ahead at Full Speed

The uncertainty of Winter has now been replaced by the uncertainty of Spring. Change is the constant we all deal with. EMBA's activities have continued to develop - particularly with regard to both the high-tech and international market -places. On the speaking front, Elliott will be moderating the April MEF Business Review of HeavyWare.com. Presentations are being made to various groups in the Chicagoland area on a variety of marketing topics. If you know of a group that might benefit from such a talk, please let us know. For help in negotiating the world of e-business, remember, e has always been our first name.

Are You Skiing on Grass?

If you hang on to yesterday, you'll hinder your future.

You hear about them all the time, often as a footnote at the end of a news-cast. They are the people who do things that are totally incongruous with the times. They swim or play golf in mid-winter. They play records and shun CD's. They won't touch a word processor or a computer. They use a fountain pen. They ski on the grass.
Once in a while it's a good idea to stop and assess the degree to which you, your department, and those who work for you, are still skiing, even though the snow has long since gone. Here are some elements of your job that you might examine:
Projects. Are you still pursuing projects or ideas that have little relevance to the current climate in your organization? Are you continuing to push for adoption of your recommendations despite the fact that they have been turned down again and again? Are you continuing to push for your agenda in spite of the fact that your new management has said that it will not be included in theirs?
The first thing to ask yourself is whether your ideas still have value. Look at them objectively and realistically. Forget your personal investment and your ego. Ask your friends, coworkers and subordinates for their honest opinions. Don't be afraid to give up an idea if it isn't worth the effort. Since the odds are against your success, your decision will merely be a disappointment and not a failure. Nobody wins them all.
If, however, you still feel that your ideas would benefit the organization, put them on the shelf for a few months while you wait for the atmosphere to be more receptive. List the criteria that must change for the climate to be more conducive. Refer to this list as changes take place in the ensuing months. When at least half of them have occurred, bring your ideas down from the shelf and repackage them, gradually building support so that, when conditions are right, they can be reintroduced in a positive light.
Technology. Is your industry, or the competition "driving" the newest of vehicles while you're still at the wheel of something with four headlights, non-radial tires, no air bags or ABS, and prone to frequent breakdowns? Your logical reasons for resisting technology in the past may now be invalid.
The first thing you must do is rid yourself of any fears or prejudices. Remember, technology changes so rapidly that the problems that stimulated your initial objections may now have been solved.
Here your subordinates can be a big help. Ask them what they think you need to bring you up to the 21st century. Cut the "blue sky" ideas and those you know would be too expensive off the top, and formulate a recommendation that you think will fly, with backup positions if the full plan is not accepted. Bone up on the knowledge you need to make it work, and go for it?
People. If you succeed in bringing your projects, and the technology to support them, into the modern era, do your people have the knowledge and skills to make them work?
Ask them. Call a meeting to pose the question of what they need to be effective in an increasingly complex environment. Get their opinions on the knowledge and experience they feel the group needs. Then conduct individual talks to determine interests and directions for growth. Set objectives. Hold a follow-up meeting to share individual plans and to discuss areas that may have been overlooked.
As individuals achieve growth objectives, call additional meetings to share their new-found expertise with coworkers. You'll give a boost to personal and group pride as well as to teamwork.
The final word. What if your group is out of touch with today's realities? That may be frustrating, but it's no excuse for complacency. You can still provide an atmosphere for the growth of your people and silently prepare the right recommendations for the right time. It will come. In the meantime, enjoy your skiing and try to avoid the bare rocks in the grass.
...By Carter Johnson: Buying Time Seminars
630-910-1927

Did you know

There were an estimated 8.5 million women-owned businesses in 1997, an increase of 89 percent over the last decade.

After adjusting for inflation, women-owned businesses generated $3.1 trillion in revenue in 1997, an increase of 209 percent since 1987.

There will be about 4.7 million self-employed women by 2005. This will be an increase of 77 percent since 1983, compared with a 6 percent increase in the number of self-employed men.

Native speakers of Japanese learn Spanish more easily than they learn English. Native speakers of English learn Spanish more easily than they learn Japanese.

New Zealand kiwis lay the largest eggs of any bird with respect to their body size.

Elephants have been found swimming miles from shore in the Indian

Things work out best
for those who make the best of the way things work out

What Matters Most to Small-Business Owners?

Despite the hype of the Internet, going online is not among the highest priorities of small business. The chief priority among 20 ongoing challenges?
Growing sales. The following figures represent percent of
respondents.

Top Five Priorities:
Generating more sales 73%
Marketing products/
services 59%
Understanding business
finances 53%
Establishing a retirement
plan 50%
Setting personal and
business goals 45%

Five Lowest Priorities:
Developing fringe benefits
packages 26%
Compensating employees 23%
Marketing on the
Internet 15%
Developing an Internet
Site 12%
Expanding
Internationally 6%

Six Steps to Creating a
Marketing Strategy
Need a strategic marketing plan, but don't know where to start? Plan a meeting with your key employees to brainstorm as a group. Hold the session off-site, away from office interruptions. What should the agenda be? Try these classic planning steps outlined by consultant Ron Meyers of R.P. Myers Associates.

1. Conduct a SWOT analysis. That's an evaluation of your company's internal Strengths and Weaknesses along with the Opportunities and Threats you face.

2. Compose a vision statement What are your company's long-range marketing goals?

3. State objectives. What are the milestones on the way to reaching those goals?

4. Devise strategies for each objective. How will you reach each milestone?

5. Create action plans for each strategy. Who will do what, by when?

6. Draft a follow-up schedule. How will you make sure you're doing what you planned to do?

Treat the meeting as a kick-off, not a touchdown, for your marketing plan.

"There's a sense that once it's written, it will take care of itself," cautions Myers. "But unless the CEO is talking about the plan on a daily or weekly basis, it will deteriorate

Is the customer always right?

Then there was the customer who
received this notice:
"Sorry, we cannot fill your order until your previous
order is fully paid for."

He sent a reply:
"Cancel my order. I can't wait that long."

e.business

e.business2business

e.commerce

embainc.com

everything for marketing your
product or services

e has always been our first name.

elliott m. black & associates, inc.
e-mail: eblack@embainc.com
website: www.embainc.com

From the Editor's Desk

Although we have increased our high-tech profile, we haven't changed our commitment to our low-tech and no-tech clients. AND consider our business roundtables for hands-on, problem and opportunity sharing. To learn more, call me.

MAXINE, Newsletter Editor c/o EMBA
2511 Windsor Lane
Northbrook, IL 60062
Tel. No. 847-272-2884
Fax No. 847-272-3551
E-mail: eblack@embainc.com
www.embainc.com

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