Category Archives: Sales & Business Development

Building new relationship, sales opportunities, and overall topics on business development.

Cold Calling Basics (Part 1)

Established & Growing Businesses, Sales & Business Development, Start Ups, , , , ,

Cold calling is the most cost effective way to develop new leads for a small business owner selling business to business (B2B) or business to government (B2G). Even with all social media options, search engine optimization, and so many other marketing tools available to a small business owner – cold calling and telemarketing still wins out.

 

Unfortunately it is also the most hated way to get business. People are often scared of even picking up the phone for the first call. But if it is the most cost effective way to get new business, it is important to learn how to improve your odds.

 

The top 10 tips that are covered are;
– how to be a human rather than a robot when telemarketing
– when in doubt, put yourself in your customer’s shoes
– why honesty is truly the best policy
– how to keep your energy and optimism up
– when to call your target prospect
– how often to call your target prospect
– what makes a bad lead list and what are the red flags that your lead list stinks
– what information should you be keeping and tracking about your customers?
– should you be scared of gatekeepers and tactics to get to the person you want

 

 

Expert Contact Information

Carla Langhorst
Carla@smallbusinesssolver.com

 

Like the PowerPoint? cold calling basics

 

Marketing Automation for Small Business

Established & Growing Businesses, Marketing & Branding, Sales & Business Development, Technology & Online, , , , , , , , , ,

When we think marketing we often think advertising. But with business becoming more of a science, there are now marketing software out there that can help grow your business.
 
Obviously technology is more than just social media and your computer, and this is your opportunity to understand what some of those tools are that could help your business.
 
Marketing automation is one of the newest techniques out there. And it is becoming increasingly important as by 2020 it is estimated that 85% of a company’s customer interactions will be automated and through technology. This means that these marketing automation best practices are only going to become more important.
 
The 10 Commandments of Marketing Automation
 
1. Be 100% customer focused. What are your customers pain points?
2. Be pressure free. Gone are the days of the pushy sales person.
3. Support the internal sale. Remember that you are working with more than the decider when you are selling. There are influencers and other stakeholders you need to communicate with.
4. Marketing automation is part of your integrated inbound marketing strategy.
5. Drive repeat purchases. Keep them engaged!
6. Content driven. Have relevant new content to keep them interested.
7. It must be multi channel. Not everyone uses one communication channels. There are many and they are growing!
8. Reflect interest, not just action. Interest is important too!
9. Accessible no matter how someone is accessing the information.
10. Cross platform. The new normal is using different devices.
 
Find out more and what software is available through the video!
 

 
Contact the Expert
 
Andrea Orozco
andrea@think-kik.com
 

eCommerce 101

Established & Growing Businesses, Marketing & Branding, Sales & Business Development, Start Ups, Strategy, Technology & Online, , , ,

Ecommerce is more than the future – it is today!

It is currently a $600 billion dollar industry in Canada and the United States, with over 630 million active websites. Plus it is still growing at a massive rate of 47% annually over the last 12 years.

iDeal Advisor presents this topic with the idea of focusing on conversion rates, reducing abandonment rates, and increasing the value of your website through traffic and revenue. Throughout the video, topics are covered to help you with these three goals.

First it covers that a good landing page is critical. It needs to have;

1. Your logo, images, and branding
2. You need great copy and design pieces.
3. You need a headline that is catchy and simple.
4. A brief body of copy that is succinct and clear.
5. Testimonials.
6. A call to action. What do you want the visitor coming to your site to DO.

Second there is the new SEO (search engine optimization)

1. fresh content
2. social media
3. media releases

You can’t improve what you can’t measure. So make sure that you are using Google Analytics to understand your unique visitors, abandon rates, and conversion rates.

And finally, you need a way to nurture the leads. How do you get conversion from returning visitors or individuals who left your site.

Contact The Expert

The subject matter expert is Craig Hunt, the President of iDeal Advisor.
email: craigh@idealadvisor.com

www.idealadvisor.com

If you like this video, check out Simple Website Best Practices.

Sales Storytelling

Established & Growing Businesses, Management & Human Relations, Marketing & Branding, Sales & Business Development, Start Ups, , , , , , ,

Think about the excitement you felt when you first thought about running your own business. Did you dream of financial freedom? More time with your family? Travel to exotic places?
 
Where has all the excitement gone? Many small business owners experience incredible stress, time pressures and little personal time with loved ones. They realize that their business will collapse if they are absent from it. What started out as a dream has now become a cage.
 
The transition from a business that is a burden to a business that enables you to have the lifestyle that you dream of is not as difficult as you might think.
 
Learn to avoid:
 
•The stress from being the bottleneck in your business.
•The stress of poor cash flow
•The stress from not feeling in control
 
And how to achieve:
 
•Financial Freedom
•A business that works for you instead of a business you have to work for
•More time with your loved ones
 
If you would like to rekindle the dream, watch this video!
 

 
Contact The Expert
 
Adrian Davis
Adrian@adriandavis.com

Become A Networking Guru

Established & Growing Businesses, Marketing & Branding, Sales & Business Development, Start Ups, , ,

Networking is a super way to get the word out there about your business. Especially if you are anxious about selling, this is a great first way to try your hand at the sales pitch.

 

This webinar covers the basics.  But more importantly, opens your eyes to many different tactics that might work better for you personally.

 

Specific topics include;

– where to network?

– your 30-second super pitch (are they dead?)

– reciprocity and being likeable

– your personal brand and ways to be remembered

– what not to do at a networking event!!

– what to do with those business cards?!

– follow up (the how, the why, the when)

 

Watch the video to find these answers and more!

 

Your Expert

 

Teresa Shaver, Executive Director

Business Advisory Centre Durham

PH:  905.668.4949 x222 . 1.866.632.5151

Email :  tshaver@bacd.ca    www.bacd.ca

 

Essential Reading for Networking Success:

Work the Pond – Darcy Rezak

Love is the Killer App – Tim Sanders

The Go Giver – Bob Burg

Never Eat Alone – Keith Ferrazzi

Enchantment – Guy Kawasaki

The Art of Mingling – Jeanne Martinet https://www.hellomynameisscott.com/

 

Apps/Software for Business Organization

Business Card Apps:

Evernote Hello ≈ Cardmunch ≈ CardCloud  ≈ CardFlick ≈ Bump

CRM Software:

Capsule CRM, Insightly, Batchbook. Highrise, Salesforce, Zoho, Sugar

Email Newsletter / Online Marketing:

Constant Contact, Mail Chimp, Email it!, Campayn, Aweber

 

Weekly To Do’s to build your network:

Send Four Cards a Week:

Handwritten notes every week to those in your network

Make Four Calls a Day:

Even if you leave a voicemail your outreach will be noticed and appreciated

Develop Four new Contacts a Week:

You never know when you’ll make a great new connection for you or for someone in your network.

Play Matchmaker:

The best networkers listen to others, understand their needs and share their resources.

 

Rules to Live By:

 

1. Help Everyone

2. Don’t Wait to Be Asked to Help

3. When You Are Asked, Don’t Miss That Opportunity

4. Compliment and Encourage

5. Introduce People

6. Be Friendly

7. Take a Chance

8. Be Open, Don’t Limit Your Friendships

9. Think the Best of People and Try Not to Judge

10. Be Grateful and Express It Often

 

Simple Website Best Practices

Established & Growing Businesses, Marketing & Branding, Sales & Business Development, Start Ups, Technology & Online, , , , , ,

Websites are a normal way to get visibility to your business. But there are some common pitfalls that all entrepreneurs face when trying to get their bang for their buck online.

 

The topics in this webinar include graphic design basics, website strategy, social media integration, navigation, website platforms, and SEO basics to help you get started.

 

Website best practices are constantly evolving and these are the hot tips and tricks today.

 

If you want to learn more, reach out to the subject matter expert;

Kagan Mustafa
info@xodmedia.com
www.xodmedia.com

How To Use Blogging To Grow Your Business

Established & Growing Businesses, Marketing & Branding, Sales & Business Development, Start Ups, Technology & Online, ,

Showing up on Google will only get you so far. What will prospective clients find once they land on your website? If you have an effective blog, they’ll find information, value and assistance. They’ll find someone they want to do business with.

You’ll learn how to:
– Create a customized blogging plan that fits your audience, your schedule and your style
– Generate content that your ideal clients are looking for
– Post new content every week without always having to write and research full-length articles
– Promote your blog and business effectively on social media

You can re-use this method again and again to consistently update your blog with valuable content. Use this Blog Planning Worksheet to guide you through this planning process.

 

Learn from blogging expert, Linda Dessau, of Content Mastery Guide. Linda Dessau is the author of Write Your Way to More Clients Online, and the founder of Content Mastery Guide. She is a business blogging expert, editor and author, and a writing coach certified by the Coaches Training Institute. She discovered content marketing when promoting her own coaching business in 2003, and launched this business in 2005 to help other companies market more effectively online.

Market Research To Make Your Business Fly

Innovation & Creativity, Marketing & Branding, Sales & Business Development, Start Ups, ,

The key of market research is to reduce a small business owner’s risk. How? The focus should always be on justifying whether or not your sales projections are realistic to meet your financial requirements.
This 20 minute video outlines the key pieces of research that you need to know & how to get this information. Whether you are an existing business or a revolutionary new idea, this video will highlight some key risk areas and how to reduce this through market research.

4 Conversations Of A Leader

Established & Growing Businesses, Management & Human Relations, Marketing & Branding, Sales & Business Development, Strategy, ,

Building rapport and having great conversations with customers, suppliers, employees, and everyone else you do business with is critical for sustainable growth. Plus better conversations can help build your referral base and your external sales force, a great thing to have as a small business.

 

Learn how to have better conversations for small business (and big business) success.

 

The subject matter expert is Stuart Knight, of www.stuartknightproductions.com