Follow-up for sales!

Sales is all about moving an opportunity through a process that takes it from the first contact through to sale and beyond.  Two things are implied:  Firstly, you have to have a process (that is a repeatable series of steps from first contact through to close – a pipeline) and secondly, you have to do something to move an opportunity through the pipeline – the follow-up.

The follow-up is therefore a defined and repeatable action that kicks-in whenever an opportunity needs to be moved through the pipeline.  For instance, when you meet someone at a networking event your follow-up might be a) send an email saying how much you enjoyed your conversation about topic x and b) add them to your database for future newsletters.

If someone subscribes on your website your follow-up might be an automatic email with latest offers.

If you finish a job for a client your follow-up might be a phone call three months later to discuss any other requirements.

An effective follow-up will be:

-          Consistent and controlled rather than left to chance or whim
-          Persistent (without being irritating)
-          Personalised, even if automated
-          Related to the prospect’s needs, not your product’s features
-          Designed to move the opportunity on in a specific way.  For a suspect, say, to establish whether they do in fact have a need for your service.  For a prospect, to establish whether they have the money – and so forth
-          A call to action
-          Intriguing and original
-          Via an appropriate medium, or mixture of media
-          Recorded, analysed and the results fed back into the design of the process

A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system will help you define and control this process – but you can do it quite simply without one.  What you can’t do without is a documented sales process and a bit of organisation.

Get more great business tips at http://www.nickbettes.co.uk.

Systemise to grow

One of the key changes you need to make to grow your business beyond you is to systemise it.

This will not only make it easier to find, recruit and manage staff it will make your business more valuable. m The value of a business depends on its growth prospects, profitability, cash conversion and the degree to which that future cash flow is at risk

One of the main risks for small businesses is their reliance upon key personnel, particularly the owner, who know and do things that no-one else knows or can do. This risk is present even if you have no plans to sell the business. If you the owner or one of your key staff are unable to work for an extended period what happens to your business?

Systemisation is the process by which the processes of the business are documented and standardised and reliance on any one individual is removed. This process also makes a business scalable; the processes can be replicated, additional staff can be selected and trained and the business can grow beyond the constraints of any one person

Find out more at this seminar "The Owners' Trap", which will explain how this and other changes should be implemented to help you to take your business on to the next level..

Learn how to raise your game by visiting my website.

Frustrated that your staff can't do things as well as you do - or don't care enough to?
Are you resigned to your business staying the same size because you have no more hours to give and you just can't find anyone to take on some of your workload?

Maybe you need to learn about motivating staff...

- Motivated staff are more productive
- Motivated staff are more positive and helpful to customers
- Motivated staff are easier to lead and will take responsibility for things that otherwise you will have to do.

This seminar "The Owners' Trap" will give you techniques to motivate your staff - as well as the other steps you need to take to take your business on to the next level..

Learn how to raise your game by visiting my website.

Key man blues??

Are you concerned that the growth of your business is limited by your available time and effort?Worried that you need to grow to afford more staff - and need more staff to grow?
To break free from the Owners' Trap you need to do the following:

1. Systemise your business
2. Get your staff to want what you want
3. Learn how to let go
This seminar "The Owners' Trap" will tell you how to do this.