3 Overlooked Sales Strategies for Conferences
I tell my audiences every day that the key to success is taking action. Take a minute to look over this weeks featured articles and videos that highlight the different ways you might take action and have it positively benefit your bottom line.
No Sale Left Unturned: Clean Up At Conferences with 3 Overlooked Sales Strategies
by Caryn Kopp
Group of successful businesspeople standing and talking.Over the last year I’ve heard several stories about lost sales opportunities. Many occurred as a direct result of post-conference oversights that could have been avoided. It happens too often. Join me by shaking your head as you read the story below. Then, vow to follow the strategies provided so you can clean up on conference sales opportunities!
A company I know sent 3 people to a conference a year ago January. All 3 people flew, stayed 3 nights, went to nice meals and entertained prospective clients. They uncovered several high volume prospect opportunities, one of which included a large potential program with Disney. Upon their return to the office they were faced with the typical backlog of work, urgent client requests and calls which needed to be returned…yesterday. Digging out from under took priority over follow up. You can guess what happened. The first follow up, a group of letters (snail mail), went out 3 months after the conference. The second follow up, a group of phone calls, occurred 3 months after that.
The seller didn’t reach the Disney decision maker live until August (8 months after the conference) and the conversation went like this:
Decision Maker:
Oh, I do remember you. Too bad we didn’t connect sooner. We decided to move forward with the program. We chose a vendor and are finalizing the contract now. We plan to roll out within the next 6 weeks.
Salesperson (also now known as Sad Person):
There are many benefits we provide, we would still appreciate the opportunity to come in and talk with you. Can we set a time for that?
Decision Maker:
I’m sorry but as I said we are finalizing the contract now. I’ll call you if something changes.
You may think following up is obvious. You may think this story is a fluke. But the reality is this occurs commonly enough that I had a hard time choosing which story to include in this article. To ensure it doesn’t happen to you, follow these strategies: Read More
ARE YOU AN ASSISTANT?
9 Secret Things Super Successful People Do That Probably You Don’t (Yet)
Many of these tips aren’t ones you hear all the time, but they’re crucial
by Erik Sherman
The secret to success isn’t the right school or background or connections. People excel at success because of some behaviors that set them apart from other folk. Success is ultimately a product of doing. Here are 9 ways of acting that will help you get to where you want to go.
Define success for yourself-Despite what Madison Avenue, Hollywood, Washington, or other sources of social wisdom might have you believe, there is no single definition of success. Some people want to be rich beyond the dreams of avarice. Others enjoy a simple life. There are people who want to run a massive organization and those who would prefer self-employment. For every person who focuses on career, you can probably find someone whose first priority is raising a family, or devoting time to worthy causes, or to follow a given religion. You can’t be successful until you know what it means for you. Otherwise, you’re like the road rally driver who doesn’t have a map showing where the finish line is. No matter how fast you drive, you’re depending on dumb luck to get there.
Know what you’re willing to pay- Depending on what you want to accomplish–what your goals are, based on what success means to you–you will find that you must pay a price. Moe time at the job means less time with family. Excelling in an area can require enormous hours of preparation and practice. If you want to build a business, you might find yourself putting every penny you make back into it and living poorly for a long time. There’s a cost to everything and you have to pay to get it.
Decide on what you can live with-Part of payment is recognizing that what you choose to do affects who you are and how you think and feel. There may be faster paths to your vision of success, but certain ones could require you to change in ways you won’t like. As you progress, look for the trade-offs required. Once you go down some roads, finding your way back may be difficult, if not impossible.
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The Trolls Inside
by Seth Godin
The worst troll is in your head.
Internet trolls are the commenters begging for a fight, the anonymous critics eager to tear you down, the hateful packs of roving evil dwarves, out for amusement. But the one in your head, that voice of insecurity and self-criticism, that’s the one you need to be the most vigilant about.
- Do not feed the troll.
- Do not reason with the troll.
- Do not argue with the troll.
- Most of all, don’t litigate. Don’t make your case, call your witnesses, prove you are right. Because the troll knows how to sway a jury even better than you do.
Get off the troll train. Turn your back, walk away, ship the work.
