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Positioning for Profits!
Last Friday, I was spending one last day of freedom with a dear friend who was expecting to have her first baby at any minute. We decided to hang out by the pool. On the way there, we stopped to pick up some lunch to eat pool-side. Given the choice of Wendy's, Subway, or McDonald's, I chose Subway because I knew I could get a relatively low-calorie, low-fat lunch there. How did I know that? Because I'd seen their commercials starring Jared who had lost something like 150 pounds by eating an all-Subway-sandwich diet. Now, I don't need to lose 150 pounds, and I don't plan to go on an all-Subway-sandwich diet. However, I also did not want to blow the 648 calories I had burned on the elliptical trainer that morning. From the moment we walked in, I knew I had made the right decision. They had a poster-sized sign telling me how many calories and grams of fat each of their basic sandwiches have. That helped me make a decision about the best thing to order. Then, they reinforced my smart decision when they handed me my sandwich-drink combo. Plastered across the sandwich wrapper, around my cup, and over my napkin were the same calorie/fat breakdowns. I was pleased to see that I was only eating 320 calories for lunch (okay, truth be told, I splurged on chips too). But, nonetheless, Subway had done their job and done it well. I'm talking about POSITIONING. They might be a lot of things, but the thing they want you to know above all else is that they offer low-calorie fast food alternatives. Yes, they were fast. Yes, they were cheap. But the point they have hammered home with their advertisements, in-store signage, and paper goods is that I can get a meal that won't blow my diet. Positioning is what sets you apart from your competitors. It's what makes a prospect choose to work with you rather than someone else. It's the part of perception that you have the most control over. But many business owners neglect to take charge of their position in the marketplace and let customers position their business for them. How many times have you lowered your prices to get a new client who balked at your original bid? How many times have you agreed to provide a certain service to a client that you never planned to provide, don't enjoy doing, and isn't very profitable? How many times have you taken on a job that requires the most basic skills you possess and complained that you can't get clients that want to use all of your talents? These are all things that business owners experience when they let their prospects/clients position their business for them. If you find yourself doing this, the time to change is NOW! Are you letting the market position your business for you? If so, don't fret. Most all of us have been there at some time or another. Sometimes, it's important to take on low-end jobs. We all need to pay the bills. We all experience market downturns. We all have to build up confidence in our services. But, if you find yourself feeling frustrated with the type of work you are doing, the amount of money you are making, or the kind of clients you are working with, it's time to take charge of your business. Take a piece of paper and write down 5-10 things you want people to think of when they think of your business. Here are several examples, but you might think of many more:
Now, look through your list and choose the one thing that you want to emphasize more than any other the one thing that will set you apart from your competitors. Once you've selected it, write down a list of benefits that the one thing provides to your clients. For example, if you chose "high quality" from the list above, some benefits might include:
Once you've identified the aspect of your business that you want to emphasize and you've identified the benefits to your clients, sit down with all of your marketing materials. This includes your business card, brochure, letterhead, web site, advertisements, bio sheet, etc. Determine how you can tweak each one to emphasize this aspect of your business. If you can afford it, you might reprint some of your materials. If you can't, you might come up with ways to add a tag line to your existing materials. You could print your tag line at the bottom of every piece of letterhead each time you are sending a letter. You could have stickers printed with your tag line to stick on each of your brochures. Be creative! The best part about proper positioning is that you end up doing the type of work you enjoy and making more money. Many times the work is more profitable -- you are able to charge more than your competitors because you are delivering more value than they do. The clients that choose to work with you are making the decision to pay a little more in order to benefit from the extra value you provide. About The Author Kimberly Stevens is the author of the ebook series, *The Profitable Business Owner: A Step-by-Step System for Starting & Running a Successful Service Business*. Download Sample Chapters & get her free MiniCourse, *The 10 Most Common Mistakes Business Owners Make & How To Avoid Them* at: http://www.askthebizcoach.com/ebooks.htm
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Coaching Why Salespeople Fail Since 1990 I have focused on the three primary barriers which affect the performance of salespeople:- The Truth About Sale Success! Bill Brooks of The Brooks Group wrote an article several years ago about his organization's research into sales performance. Bill's research partner analyzed 178 top sales performers from the United States and another 450 from Germany who, as he stated, "?were at the very peak of their game." These top sales professional were analyzed in two key areas behavioral style (personality) and core values. Here's what the Brooks Group researchers learned about sales success: 22 Closes For Real Estate Agents To Make The Sale All closes are not created equal. Top producers realize every homeowner has specific needs and every situation demands its own close. While you may have found a close that works better for you than others, it shouldn't deter you from using a variety of closes depending on the situation. By learning the 22 trial closes, you'll stand a better chance of getting more listings. Knowing how to close many different ways will enhance your success. Like It or Not... You?re in SALES! Mention the word sales or salesman and two out of three people get a little clammy under the skin. "I hate sales people and I could never do what they do!" is what many say at the mere thought of having to sell something. How wrong they are. The Makings of a Salesman Salesmanship is the force that moves business. Without it all business would be at a stand-still. Just being able to sell does not complete the definition of salesmanship. A fraudulent person may be able to sell you a piece of swamp land, but because they were able to sell the worthless piece of property to you, does that say they demonstrated salesmanship? Have You Prepared for Success in Sales? My wife and I watched the movie Ray a couple of weeks ago when it came out on DVD. In the movie Jaime Foxx plays the legendary singer Ray Charles. I was amazed at how Jaime had captured the essence of Ray Charles. Many times throughout the movie I wondered if it was Jaime Foxx or Ray Charles I was seeing on my TV. Change Takes Time I am writing this at the Philadelphia Airport on my way back from meeting with one of my clients. Three weeks ago, we offered a training program for their staff in basic selling skills. She reported that they saw an immediate increase in sales after the program. Since these are all telemarketers, she listened in on their calls to see what had changed. To her pleasure they were asking good, open-ended questions. They were taking time to listen to the client's responses and using their comments to match them with the right product. They were even closing right at the correct time. She was thrilled. 7 Steps to Selling Artwork Selling arwork is easy when you follow a road map. In this article you learn the step by step guide to marketing art for profits. Now onto the plan! In Sales The Biggest Rolodex Wins How many names do you have in your business Rolodex? ______ 9 TIPS: Dont Sell Me - Persuade Me We all have something in our past we believe someone "sold" us. It might have been a lemon yellow car, a skimpy skirt or a purple tie. We bought it because -despite our gut feeling - we thought we were doing the right thing. We wanted to please the salesman - and we believed that person knew more than we did. Until we got home. Hello! I Cant Sell! What's that you say? You can't sell? The Business of Closing the Sale Without Killing It You must be able to coordinate your sales talk to service whatever step in the selling process the customer has arrived at in their mind. Its All in the Questions Contrary to many of the books on how to be an effective salesperson, selling in today's market place is just the same as yesterday's. Goods and services are still being bought and sold. Success is still measured by how many sales you close and the profitability within each sale. The Biggest Mistake in Sales Prospecting Recently I received a prospecting voice mail message from a salesperson. The salesperson explained his company was "the leader in Microsoft hosted Exchange solutions" and he encouraged me to visit his company's website. That was it - that was the "meat" of the voice mail message. Sales Marketing: 5 Fantastic Secrets To Attract New Customers Now If you have problem attracting new customers, the sales marketing secrets that I am going to reveal to you below will make you smile all day. The Dos and Donts of an Elevator Pitch The dreaded question: "What exactly does your company do?" It's a simple question, but do you find that every time you answer it you give a different answer? 11 Proven Sales Strategies to Help You Close The Deal There are a number of sales closing strategies that you can learn with different ones applied in different situations. Each salesperson might be more comfortable with one or another. As a business owner, you want to be certain that you and your salespeople become exposed to a number of different strategies so they can choose the one they prefer depending on different situations. Practice Building: Create a Powerful and Targeted Call to Action for Your Prospects A "Call To Action" is an invitation for your prospective clients to actively engage you in some way- directly or indirectly. How To Master The Art And Science Of Super Salesmanship In 3½ Minutes Flat! Dear Friend, The Art And Science of Closing - How To Close More Sales Right Now One of the questions I often get asked as a sales coach by sales people and business owners alike is, "How do I close sales better? What closing techniques would you recommend?"
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