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The Hidden Competition: Avoiding the 2 Most Common Competitors
There are really only two types of competitor: 1. Obvious 2. Hidden The obvious competitors are, well, obvious! You'll probably know who they are. You might even meet up for a drink with them and bump into them at networking events. You'll have analysed their offerings and differentiated yours. You know these guys. In fact if you are a Lean MarketerTM you probably know them better than they know themselves! But what of these "hidden" competitors? Well, you know these too. They're: Mr Do Nothing and Mrs Do It Myself. Mr Do Nothing - this is usually, but not always, a curious prospect. Mr Do Nothing, will speak to so many people that he paints himself into a corner of inactivity. He's too afraid to do anything because he's had so much advice. You can help him - make life simple. Take away the risks. There's another version of Mr Do Nothing, and that's the guy who'll wait till the next big thing comes along. He can't decide now because next week there might be something different. He might meet someone who's cheaper, faster, bigger, better next week. Mr Do Nothing quite often turns into a desperate prospect. He's waited so long that now it's actually urgent. He needs you NOW! Remember what I said about desperate people? Avoid them unless you want future misery. Now, Mrs Do It Myself is a different kettle of fish. Quite often she'll start out as your curious prospect too. However, she has a very different agenda, she's information gathering. That way, when she does do it herself, she'll have picked the brains of all the best people around - in other words you! How do you work out whether a hidden competitor is lurking? By building a relationship on a one to one basis. By offering incentives, then upping the ante by asking for payment for the next offering. Here are some techniques for each hidden competitor: Outing a Mr Do Nothing * Stop talking to him - he's happy to get advice and attention while he's not paying for it * Ask for a decision - spell out all the stuff you've done so far and then say, "What do you need in order to make a decision now?" * Do Nothing! Outing a Mrs Do It Myself * Again, stop talking to her unless she'd like to pay, of course! * Ask outright, "Are You Considering Doing This All Yourself?" then judge by her response - if she is, say great! Good luck with it. If not then ask, "What do you need in order to make a decision to use us now?" * Write or develop a product so she can do it herself - then sell it to her. Speak Soon, 'Dangerous' Debbie Jenkins (c) Copyright 2005 www.BookShaker.com SUMMER CAN BE SLOW FOR BUSINESS I'm wondering if... You Know Other People who should be reading this too? So do us all a favour (they get 2 free books - we get a new subscriber - you get to look good) when you Pass On This link... http://www.leanmarketing.co.uk
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Careers and Employment Do You Know How to Fire Up Your Sales Staff (When Money Isnt Everything)? Money is the only thing that motivates a salesperson, right? Well, maybe it is time to give your sales staff a little more credit. Are Your Sales Meetings Boring? Many sales meetings are boring and a waste of salespeople's time, say the majority of salespeople I interview. A review of what's going on in the market is good to know, but to be effective, sales meetings need to be a lot more than that venues for quick market updates. Producing Premium Performance One of the major issues that arises in managing a small or medium size business is in the area of employee performance. Many business owners are frustrated with the poor performance of their team or some individuals within their team. No matter how hard they try, they don't seem to be able to create a sustainable improvement in performance. The tendency is to blame the employees for poor performance. However, more often than not, the problem stems from not establishing an effective performance management framework. 3 Steps To Getting A Sales Meeting The best way to get a new customer is to clearly identify who you want to do business with and then get in front of them. They can then see what you look like, possibly see what your product looks like and also examine any data or statistics you might have. It gives you the ideal opportunity to start building a positive working relationship with your potential customer. Shorten Sales Cycles in Complex Sales Environments Help buyers discover the answers they need to understand and align all of their decision variables. The Get Dangerous Quickly Approach to Product/Service Training In 2000 a computer distributor hired me to help them build a software specialist sales team. The distributor had more than 100 "generalist" salespeople, but these salespeople were doing a poor job of selling software. The distributor's management felt a team of specialists could help jump-start growth in software sales. Is Your Forecast Too Sunny? How to Improve the Accuracy of Sales Forecasts As spring moves to summer, the forecast should be for warmer and sunnier weather. What is the forecast for your business? Is the outlook sunny or cloudy? Retail Operations - Effective Branch Manager Support and Guidance Performance and behaviour management is by far the most difficult aspect of any manager's job and the reluctance to 'grasp the nettle' when performance or behaviour issues emerge is certainly a concern in many organisations. But at the end of the day that is what managers are paid to do and not doing so will certainly affect service, team morale, sales and ultimately the bottom line. How Your 60-Second Elevator Script Can Transform Your Staff, Your Sales, & Your Business When attending a Chamber of Commerce breakfast networking get-together, I'm always perplexed by the lack of thought and preparation many business owners display when giving a 60-second overview of their business. These people have spent enormous amounts of time, money, and energy on their businesses. Yet, when asked to give a quick synopsis, they fumble for the right words, they ramble, they go off on a tangent, the information is disjointed, or the words are boring and seemingly unimportant. 100% Commission Equals Zero Percent Control The temptation to use straight (100%) commission plans never goes away: "Let's put our salespeople on 100 percent commission. Then, if they don't perform, we're not out any money." For small, start-up organizations, the lure is irresistible, especially when money is tight and the company or the products they sell have no track record in the market. 4 Marketing Myths Threaten Your Sales These 4 marketing myths can cause you to lose sales if you base your marketing decisions on them. But the related marketing tips I included with each myth will boost your sales if you act on them instead. Stop Drowning: Nine Strategies For Managing Your Priorities I just got off the phone with Susan. She is a well-meaning, big-hearted, caring, effective and creative sales manager. Susan is also exhausted. Pointless Targets I recall a heated discussion with a sales director some time ago where I proposed that the long-term effect of setting activity targets for salespeople would eventually lead to failure. He vehemently made the point that he had systematically imposed activity targets on his sales force and that the result had been to treble average income per salesperson within 18 months. Train a Winning Sales Team: Rounding Third and Heading for Home Although I never met the man, I imagine Lou Boudreau would have made one heck of a field sales trainer. In 1942 the 24-year old Cleveland Indians shortstop was promoted to player/manager of his team, and for the next eight years Boudreau did what we, as trainers, are called upon to do every day: demonstrate success, inspire success and cultivate success. Think of it as the triple play of sales training. Beyond the Golden Rule There are several types and sub types of people in the world. Getting to understand the differences will help you connect with other people. This is taught in sales 101, because the need to connect with the people to make the sale. Ten Awesome Ways To Incease Your Sales In Holidays Everybody thinks that the businesses will slow down a bit in holiday seasons. Ofcourse everybody thinks that people don't want to start new ventures in holidays too. How Do I Manage Workplace Conflict? Workplace Conflict It's Time For A Sales Management Revolution Are you dog tired because of the way you manage your sales team? Many managers tell me that they cannot see a way out of traditional sales management methods that keep them working like dogs, including focusing strictly on revenue goals, staying late, traveling up to three weeks a month, tightly controlling teams, and constantly reacting to emergencies. There has to be a better way. How Exhibitors Can Move More Attendees Closer to Buying Q. What's the single, biggest change exhibitors can make to move more prospects closer to a buying? How to Win Over the Man in the Chair Salesmanship, Repetition, and Direct Mail In a classic business-to-business print ad from the late 50's for McGraw-Hill Magazines an imposing looking executive sits in his chair. He has both feet planted firmly on the ground, a scowl on his face. His hands are folded together in front of him and his elbows rest on the chair; he leans ever so slightly forward. To his right run these eight lines of copy:
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