|
Favorits •
Web Domain Directory •
ODP •
Annuaire FR •
Directorio ES •
Directory EN •
Diretório PT •
IT Katalog •
Czech Katalog •
Polski Katalog •
Maps •
Satellite Photos •
View Card
|
||
|
|
Sales Training |
|
|
| ||
 |
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 didn't 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're doing, the amount of money you're 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
MORE RESOURCES: |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
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.Most prospective clients, even if they are very interested in working with you, often need a way to build a relationship with you in bite-sized pieces to work up to engaging your services. Sales Strategies: Its Not Who You Know - Its What You Know We are all in sales. We all selling in every role we have. A Revolutionary NEW Dimension in Sales A Revolutionary 'NEW' Dimension In Sales: Make many more closings in the same amount of time!By Art Nelson and Linda CarlsonPhase IPhase I: Learning the Product is the first thing Paul does as he begins his career in sales. This 'newbie' envisions three major factors that will determine his success or failure in sales. The Reason Why They Buy If you're a business person you want to sell your product or service. If it's been a struggle, then you probably aren't giving your potential customers a good "Reason Why" they should buy from you. Let Your Weaknesses Increase Your Sales Imagine.. The Pipeline: Curious, Desperate, Inspired? You do have a "Pipeline" don't you? You know, the directional map of how you're going to encourage complete strangers to part with their money to buy what you're selling!If you don't have one, you should let us know - we'll send you a picture - just pop an email to leanpipeline@aweber.com with "Send Me The Pipeline - I'm Missing Out!" in the subject line!You know how it is, sometimes, even when everything else seems to fit, you'll pick up a prospect that really isn't suited to you. Six Simple Steps to Increase Sales and Decrease Stress Have you ever found a lead on a scrap of paper after the prospect purchased from your competition? Are you spending time recreating proposals because you can't find a similar one you wrote a few months ago? Do you run out of the door for an appointment at the last minute because you couldn't find the brochures you really wanted to take? Are you feeling overwhelmed? If so, here are six simple steps to help you increase sales and decrease stress:1. Make a date with yourself for getting your act together. Cutting Through Stalls and Objections It's the prospect. If stalls and objections frequently come up in your sales calls, it's a good idea to bring them up before the prospect has the opportunity. 3 Hot Ways To Crank Up Your Sales 1) QUICK FOLLOW-UPSWhen you make your first sale, follow-up with the customer. You could follow-up with a "thank you" email and include an advertisement for another product you sell. Attitude Insurance Everyone knows the importance of having a positive attitude, especially in the health insurance industry. Even negative people say that they have a positive attitude. 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. Make More Sales By Airing Your Dirty Laundry There's an old saying, "Don't air your dirty laundry".If you're selling any product or service either online or offline this is horrible advice. How To Write A Killer Sales Letter I sit down and look at my notebook. Then, I put myself into the 'zone'. Less is More: Quick Tips to Improve Your Sales I'll be brief. If not - I'll negate my own point. Want to Make More Money? Fish in a Bigger Pond! Setting prices is a dilemma most service business owners encounter at one time or another. This week, it was Susan's turn. 3 Steps To Immediately Increase Sales Want to increase sales within your company? It's not as hard to do as some might have you believe. Though we as a nation are in the midst of an economic downturn these past two years, your company does not have to be. The Art of Backend Selling The art of backend sellingThe backend sale can be more rewarding than the original sale. And it can also be much easier. The Canned Sales Pitch Myth Canned or scripted sales approaches are rarely successful, because one size does not fit all in selling.Studies conducted by the public opinion researcher, social scientist and author Daniel Yankelovich in the late '70's and the Stanford Research Institute's VALS (values, attitudes and life-styles) study that assessed buying motives in the early '80's, indicate that there are at least five distinct categories of purchasers or individual buying modes. Increase Your Influence, Increase Your Sales Selling is everyone's lifeblood whether they realize it or not. We all sell in the sense that we attempt to convince and influence others. How To Master the Art of Super Salesmanship Mastering the "art of selling" is simply knowing how to present whatever it is that you're selling, to the buyer in such a manner that he feels buying it from you will solve his problems or fulfill his dreams. Selling online is really no different than selling in person, face to face with your prospect.
|