Take a look at my latest newsletter with 150 Twitter tools - http://ping.fm/BKgIz
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Quick Links & Tips
Quick Links...
Twitter Toolbox
Speakers Bootcamp 2009
Wealth Creation Masterclass
Resources, & Links
Business Card Scanner Promotion
Video Blogging for Profits
Royalty Free Music
How to Find New Clients and Business - Book
Your free Ebook
Online Sales Secrets Revealed
Hints, Tips & Tricks
Frank's Blog
Audio Jukebox
Free SEO video
Free UPDATED Internet Marketing Ebook
How to recruit top sales talent
Internet Resources
NEW - 80 page Ebook on Google Adwords
How to Find New Clients for Speakers, Trainers, Coaches & Consultants
Free Ebook 'Search Engine Optimisation Made Easy'
Franks resources
How to Get Hired - Recruitment Tips on Video
Frank's YouTube Video Channel
Just for laughs - November 2007
Berlin Photos
Saigon Photos
Thailand Photos
Dubai Photos
Kenya Photos
Interview with the Internet Audio and Video Guy
Twitter Toolbox
Speakers Bootcamp 2009
Wealth Creation Masterclass
Resources, & Links
Business Card Scanner Promotion
Video Blogging for Profits
Royalty Free Music
How to Find New Clients and Business - Book
Your free Ebook
Online Sales Secrets Revealed
Hints, Tips & Tricks
Frank's Blog
Audio Jukebox
Free SEO video
Free UPDATED Internet Marketing Ebook
How to recruit top sales talent
Internet Resources
NEW - 80 page Ebook on Google Adwords
How to Find New Clients for Speakers, Trainers, Coaches & Consultants
Free Ebook 'Search Engine Optimisation Made Easy'
Franks resources
How to Get Hired - Recruitment Tips on Video
Frank's YouTube Video Channel
Just for laughs - November 2007
Berlin Photos
Saigon Photos
Thailand Photos
Dubai Photos
Kenya Photos
Interview with the Internet Audio and Video Guy
Friday, May 08, 2009
Professional Speaking Tips – keeping Your Diary Filled
I am constantly bombarded by bad news of how the world is coming to a standstill and all we can expect from the future is doom and gloom. This is especially prevalent in the United Kingdom where the newspapers, television and radio absolutely bask in reporting bad news. If I had to believe half this drivel, I might as well give up speaking because no company is ever going to book a speaker or trainer again. What a load of rubbish.
This has so far been my busiest year ever for two reasons, Candice and I have doubled our marketing efforts and I have customised my talks according to what the markets require. Right now companies in my niche are looking for different ways to generate new business, keep their existing clients and stay motivated. This is exactly what I have been speaking about for years, but I have now just changed the title of the talk to ‘Tough Strategies in Tough Times’. This title alone secured eight bookings with one of my clients in the Far East.
As speakers, we are advising individuals and organisations to think differently and market effectively; we should all be doing the same in our businesses. The speaking business may have slowed down in the United Kingdom, but equally there are places in the world where things are thriving and this year I have already spoken in nine countries and have six others booked as well as setting up exclusive partnerships in two other countries that will bring in a ton of work.
All this takes a lot of creative thinking and a lot of hard work, but proves that no matter what the economic climate, if we really want to keep the diaries filled, it is possible.
Frank Furness CSP CFP TOT is a professional speaker and trainer specialising in technology, sales and customer service. He has educated, entertained and inspired audiences in 48 countries.
Frank is the author of bestselling books ‘Walking with Tigers – Success Secrets of the World’s Top Business Leaders’ and ‘How to Find New Clients and Business’
NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to frank@frankfurness.com
Take a look at other articles, free software and e-Books at http://www.frankfurness.com/
Download 39 Power Sales Closing Scripts at http://www.frankfurness.com/closingscripts.cfm
For more articles, please take a look at my website http://www.frankfurness.com and please download complimentary eBooks and software at http://www.frankfurnessresources.com
This has so far been my busiest year ever for two reasons, Candice and I have doubled our marketing efforts and I have customised my talks according to what the markets require. Right now companies in my niche are looking for different ways to generate new business, keep their existing clients and stay motivated. This is exactly what I have been speaking about for years, but I have now just changed the title of the talk to ‘Tough Strategies in Tough Times’. This title alone secured eight bookings with one of my clients in the Far East.
As speakers, we are advising individuals and organisations to think differently and market effectively; we should all be doing the same in our businesses. The speaking business may have slowed down in the United Kingdom, but equally there are places in the world where things are thriving and this year I have already spoken in nine countries and have six others booked as well as setting up exclusive partnerships in two other countries that will bring in a ton of work.
All this takes a lot of creative thinking and a lot of hard work, but proves that no matter what the economic climate, if we really want to keep the diaries filled, it is possible.
Frank Furness CSP CFP TOT is a professional speaker and trainer specialising in technology, sales and customer service. He has educated, entertained and inspired audiences in 48 countries.
Frank is the author of bestselling books ‘Walking with Tigers – Success Secrets of the World’s Top Business Leaders’ and ‘How to Find New Clients and Business’
NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to frank@frankfurness.com
Take a look at other articles, free software and e-Books at http://www.frankfurness.com/
Download 39 Power Sales Closing Scripts at http://www.frankfurness.com/closingscripts.cfm
For more articles, please take a look at my website http://www.frankfurness.com and please download complimentary eBooks and software at http://www.frankfurnessresources.com
Music and Sales – The Vital Connection by Frank Furness
Having started my working career as a professional drummer, I have always felt that there was a strong connection between music and sales. My career in music has stood me in good stead in my sales and business career; here are some of the things I learned:
Back to Basics – When I was still at school I was already playing in a band and I decided that if I really wanted to be good I had to learn from the best. At that time the best drummer in South Africa was Tony Moore who was a legend. I approached him and asked what he would charge to give me lessons. He replied that he would do it for free on condition that for the I would practice the basic rudiments every day for one hour on a practice pad. There is nothing more boring than practicing those basic rudiments.
He also insisted that I learn to read music and practice with the metronome each day so that my timing would be perfect. I agreed to this and duly practiced every day. By the end of that year my technique and timing was fantastic and I could read any music put in front of me. Only at that time did he allow me back on the full drum kit and I couldn’t believe the improvement. I realise now how important it was to me in my musical career to get the basics right.
Lesson – In sales it is important to practice the basics until it becomes second nature. When I started out in sales I needed to cold call to set up appointments. I hated it but remembered the basics and each day I became better and more skilled until it was like brushing my teeth, if I didn’t do it daily I would feel bad. I did the same with asking for referrals, closing, networking and all the other skills needed to be a success in sales. If ever you feel sales are dropping, just get back to doing the basics and you will be amazed at the results.
Mentors – In every venture I have tried, I have always found the best experts and learned from them. Why try to reinvent the wheel. When I was getting started in my music career, I would go and watch all the top bands and meet with the drummers and drive them crazy with all my questions. Surprisingly, they were all very helpful and encouraging and interested in my success. Later I adopted the same attitude and started teaching a young 8 year old for free who went on to become a professional musician and dancer who now performs all over the world. I also taught a young guy called Adam Bloch who went on to become a multi talented musician and composer who has released two albums under the name of Adam Saul.
Lesson – Whatever business you are in, try to find the top people to learn from and then go on and help others become more successful.
Getting the feel – I was always an excellent technician on the drums and could read any music put in from of me. I remembered joining one of the top groups in South Africa and when we were rehearsing, the guitarist stopped and told me to forget the technical aspects and feel the music. That day I changed the way I played and I immersed myself in every tune, playing with passion and loving every minute.
Lesson – In every business venture I have applied the same principles and as well as becoming technically adept, learned to feel and love what I was doing and do it with passion.
Listening – In any group or orchestra you can have the top musicians in the world playing together, but unless they listen to each other and play as one unit all you will hear is a cacophony of noise. Listening, anticipating and working together created almost a telepathic connection in all the groups I played in and gave us all so much pleasure and enjoyment
Lesson – In business, we all have to listen and communicate to produce effective results. If we all go off on our own tangent, the business will never reach its full potential.
Watching the audience – I have seen so many bands go off on a tangent and do their own thing, leaving audiences bored. When I was playing, we were always audience focussed and would watch and feel the atmosphere and change the music according to what the audience wanted. This left our group in huge demand and we always got the top engagements.
Lesson – In business we have to be client focussed. We have to learn to read the verbal and non verbal signals of our customers and change the way we do business to suit the clients style. We have to sell to customers the way that they buy, not the way that we sell and we need to be prepared to change.
Frank Furness CSP CFP TOT is a professional speaker and trainer specialising in technology, sales and customer service. He has educated, entertained and inspired audiences in 48 countries.
Frank is the author of bestselling books ‘Walking with Tigers – Success Secrets of the World’s Top Business Leaders’ and ‘How to Find New Clients and Business’
NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to frank@frankfurness.com
Take a look at other articles, free software and e-Books at http://www.frankfurness.com/
Download 39 Power Sales Closing Scripts at http://www.frankfurness.com/closingscripts.cfm
For more articles, please take a look at my website http://www.frankfurness.com and please download complimentary eBooks and software at http://www.frankfurnessresources.com
Back to Basics – When I was still at school I was already playing in a band and I decided that if I really wanted to be good I had to learn from the best. At that time the best drummer in South Africa was Tony Moore who was a legend. I approached him and asked what he would charge to give me lessons. He replied that he would do it for free on condition that for the I would practice the basic rudiments every day for one hour on a practice pad. There is nothing more boring than practicing those basic rudiments.
He also insisted that I learn to read music and practice with the metronome each day so that my timing would be perfect. I agreed to this and duly practiced every day. By the end of that year my technique and timing was fantastic and I could read any music put in front of me. Only at that time did he allow me back on the full drum kit and I couldn’t believe the improvement. I realise now how important it was to me in my musical career to get the basics right.
Lesson – In sales it is important to practice the basics until it becomes second nature. When I started out in sales I needed to cold call to set up appointments. I hated it but remembered the basics and each day I became better and more skilled until it was like brushing my teeth, if I didn’t do it daily I would feel bad. I did the same with asking for referrals, closing, networking and all the other skills needed to be a success in sales. If ever you feel sales are dropping, just get back to doing the basics and you will be amazed at the results.
Mentors – In every venture I have tried, I have always found the best experts and learned from them. Why try to reinvent the wheel. When I was getting started in my music career, I would go and watch all the top bands and meet with the drummers and drive them crazy with all my questions. Surprisingly, they were all very helpful and encouraging and interested in my success. Later I adopted the same attitude and started teaching a young 8 year old for free who went on to become a professional musician and dancer who now performs all over the world. I also taught a young guy called Adam Bloch who went on to become a multi talented musician and composer who has released two albums under the name of Adam Saul.
Lesson – Whatever business you are in, try to find the top people to learn from and then go on and help others become more successful.
Getting the feel – I was always an excellent technician on the drums and could read any music put in from of me. I remembered joining one of the top groups in South Africa and when we were rehearsing, the guitarist stopped and told me to forget the technical aspects and feel the music. That day I changed the way I played and I immersed myself in every tune, playing with passion and loving every minute.
Lesson – In every business venture I have applied the same principles and as well as becoming technically adept, learned to feel and love what I was doing and do it with passion.
Listening – In any group or orchestra you can have the top musicians in the world playing together, but unless they listen to each other and play as one unit all you will hear is a cacophony of noise. Listening, anticipating and working together created almost a telepathic connection in all the groups I played in and gave us all so much pleasure and enjoyment
Lesson – In business, we all have to listen and communicate to produce effective results. If we all go off on our own tangent, the business will never reach its full potential.
Watching the audience – I have seen so many bands go off on a tangent and do their own thing, leaving audiences bored. When I was playing, we were always audience focussed and would watch and feel the atmosphere and change the music according to what the audience wanted. This left our group in huge demand and we always got the top engagements.
Lesson – In business we have to be client focussed. We have to learn to read the verbal and non verbal signals of our customers and change the way we do business to suit the clients style. We have to sell to customers the way that they buy, not the way that we sell and we need to be prepared to change.
Frank Furness CSP CFP TOT is a professional speaker and trainer specialising in technology, sales and customer service. He has educated, entertained and inspired audiences in 48 countries.
Frank is the author of bestselling books ‘Walking with Tigers – Success Secrets of the World’s Top Business Leaders’ and ‘How to Find New Clients and Business’
NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to frank@frankfurness.com
Take a look at other articles, free software and e-Books at http://www.frankfurness.com/
Download 39 Power Sales Closing Scripts at http://www.frankfurness.com/closingscripts.cfm
For more articles, please take a look at my website http://www.frankfurness.com and please download complimentary eBooks and software at http://www.frankfurnessresources.com
Twitter for Business by Frank Furness
Twitter, the latest tool to take the internet by storm is growing massively each day, so what is Twitter and how does it work?
Twitter is a free online micro-blogging application which gives you the ability to send out short messages (up to 140 characters) called “tweets” to people who are following you on Twitter.
You can send tweets either through your computer or by using your cell phone via a text message.
These tweets/messages can be about anything you want and they can include links, as well.
What makes social marketing so popular and applications like Twitter, MySpace and Facebook dominate the internet? Simply put, it is the feeling of community. Thanks to the internet, our sense of community can include people from anywhere in the world bringing us into the global community.
From a business perspective, social sites provide an opportunity to get in front of potential customers and influence buying decisions because online social networkers are three times more likely to trust their online community of peers over other advertising methods when making purchasing decisions. As we all know, consumer recommendations are the most credible form of advertising and finding new business.
Here are some basics you'll need to know before you start tweeting:
· When setting up your account, add a professional photo and your own background.
· Either have your name, a keyword relating to your business or your business name as you Twitter name
· A follower is someone who is watching your updates.
· Following refers to the act of you following other people.
· The @ symbol is placed before a users name within the tweet to reply to another user, and this will show up in the main twitter stream
· The # (hashtag) is used to help you sort by topic. For example you can use #survivor to tweet with other Survivor fans.
· Direct messages go only to the user you are messaging
· Set up TweetLater.com account and welcome message: Next you'll need to look for people to follow. If you are really in this to gain business referrals, I strongly suggest you don't follow every person on twitter.
Once you are following people, you'll see that people will begin to follow you back and you'll even see people following you that you didn't follow first.
Now that you're building your list of followers, you need to start tweeting on a regular basis. I would suggest tweeting relevant information that will enhance people’s lives or help them be more productive or improve business. Nothing irks me more than seeing inane useless information.
I predict that in the future, tweeters giving relevant helpful information or helpful links or tips are the ones who are going to see the biggest growth.
Here are some helpful ways in which Twitter can boost your online business.
· Twitter generates traffic to your site because you can send messages that include links. Include relevant links to promote products or services.
· If you need to hire anyone to do anything for you, from designing a logo to optimising your website you can do so easily on Twitter by sending a tweet out to ask if they know of anyone.
· It is easy to find new, potential customers by using Twitter's search function. Search Twitter for your target keywords and you will find related tweets. Follow the Twitter users that are talking about relevant topics and you may be able to offer your product or services to them in the future.
· With Twitter, you can connect with other people in your niche. This is helpful for building business relationships that will enhance your future networking efforts.
· It is a great feedback tool. Ask your followers to comment on your website, products or anything new that you may be promoting.
Here are some ways that I am using Twitter:
· I am sending regular tweets to promote my 160 videos on YouTube. i.e. discover how to ask great sales questions and please leave your rating and comments
This then takes them to my YouTube channel www.youtube.com/salestips where I generate income as I am a YouTube partner.
In my videos I also send them to a squeeze page with a ‘onetime’ offer that gets them to buy a product or sign up for my newsletter
· Promote a free giveaway in a tweet. Once again this will take them to a relevant ‘onetime’ offer squeeze page and then get them to sign up for my newsletter before giving them the free products. This is one of the methods I have used to build up a subscriber list of 25,000
If you really want to maximize the potential with Twitter, you should make sure to take advantage of any plug-ins or sites that support Twitter.
Here are three, and attached below is the download link to hundreds more
· Squidoo allows you to input your Twitter account info into your Squidoo account and then it can automatically post updates to your Twitter account when you create or update Squidoo lenses.
· Facebook has an application called Twitter; it automatically updates your Facebook status when you make a Twitter post.
· The other tool is a free WordPress plug-in called TweetMyBlog that allows you to create a two-way connection from your blogs to Twitter. TweetMyBlog allows you to use a widget on your WordPress blogs that will display your current Twitter feed. That way all visitors to your blog can look at the widget and see a running feed of your latest Twitter posts. If they click on that they will be brought to your Twitter page.
In addition, when you make a new post to your blog, TweetMyBlog will automatically make a post to your Twitter page with a link to your latest blog post. Imagine the extra exposure you can receive by using these tools that help people see more of what you are doing.
Here is my gift to you, a resource list withpiles of Twitter tools and resources. You will also see my strategy of the ‘onetime’ offer leading to the signup page for my newsletter before getting the resources list – plus many other free EBooks.
Get it at www.frankstoptips.com/TwitterToolbox.zip
Frank Furness CSP CFP TOT is a professional speaker and trainer specialising in technology, sales and customer service. He has educated, entertained and inspired audiences in 48 countries.
Frank is the author of bestselling books ‘Walking with Tigers – Success Secrets of the World’s Top Business Leaders’ and ‘How to Find New Clients and Business’
NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to frank@frankfurness.com
Take a look at other articles, free software and e-Books at http://www.frankfurness.com/
Download 39 Power Sales Closing Scripts at http://www.frankfurness.com/closingscripts.cfm
For more articles, please take a look at my website http://www.frankfurness.com and please download complimentary eBooks and software at http://www.frankfurnessresources.com
Twitter is a free online micro-blogging application which gives you the ability to send out short messages (up to 140 characters) called “tweets” to people who are following you on Twitter.
You can send tweets either through your computer or by using your cell phone via a text message.
These tweets/messages can be about anything you want and they can include links, as well.
What makes social marketing so popular and applications like Twitter, MySpace and Facebook dominate the internet? Simply put, it is the feeling of community. Thanks to the internet, our sense of community can include people from anywhere in the world bringing us into the global community.
From a business perspective, social sites provide an opportunity to get in front of potential customers and influence buying decisions because online social networkers are three times more likely to trust their online community of peers over other advertising methods when making purchasing decisions. As we all know, consumer recommendations are the most credible form of advertising and finding new business.
Here are some basics you'll need to know before you start tweeting:
· When setting up your account, add a professional photo and your own background.
· Either have your name, a keyword relating to your business or your business name as you Twitter name
· A follower is someone who is watching your updates.
· Following refers to the act of you following other people.
· The @ symbol is placed before a users name within the tweet to reply to another user, and this will show up in the main twitter stream
· The # (hashtag) is used to help you sort by topic. For example you can use #survivor to tweet with other Survivor fans.
· Direct messages go only to the user you are messaging
· Set up TweetLater.com account and welcome message: Next you'll need to look for people to follow. If you are really in this to gain business referrals, I strongly suggest you don't follow every person on twitter.
Once you are following people, you'll see that people will begin to follow you back and you'll even see people following you that you didn't follow first.
Now that you're building your list of followers, you need to start tweeting on a regular basis. I would suggest tweeting relevant information that will enhance people’s lives or help them be more productive or improve business. Nothing irks me more than seeing inane useless information.
I predict that in the future, tweeters giving relevant helpful information or helpful links or tips are the ones who are going to see the biggest growth.
Here are some helpful ways in which Twitter can boost your online business.
· Twitter generates traffic to your site because you can send messages that include links. Include relevant links to promote products or services.
· If you need to hire anyone to do anything for you, from designing a logo to optimising your website you can do so easily on Twitter by sending a tweet out to ask if they know of anyone.
· It is easy to find new, potential customers by using Twitter's search function. Search Twitter for your target keywords and you will find related tweets. Follow the Twitter users that are talking about relevant topics and you may be able to offer your product or services to them in the future.
· With Twitter, you can connect with other people in your niche. This is helpful for building business relationships that will enhance your future networking efforts.
· It is a great feedback tool. Ask your followers to comment on your website, products or anything new that you may be promoting.
Here are some ways that I am using Twitter:
· I am sending regular tweets to promote my 160 videos on YouTube. i.e. discover how to ask great sales questions and please leave your rating and comments
This then takes them to my YouTube channel www.youtube.com/salestips where I generate income as I am a YouTube partner.
In my videos I also send them to a squeeze page with a ‘onetime’ offer that gets them to buy a product or sign up for my newsletter
· Promote a free giveaway in a tweet. Once again this will take them to a relevant ‘onetime’ offer squeeze page and then get them to sign up for my newsletter before giving them the free products. This is one of the methods I have used to build up a subscriber list of 25,000
If you really want to maximize the potential with Twitter, you should make sure to take advantage of any plug-ins or sites that support Twitter.
Here are three, and attached below is the download link to hundreds more
· Squidoo allows you to input your Twitter account info into your Squidoo account and then it can automatically post updates to your Twitter account when you create or update Squidoo lenses.
· Facebook has an application called Twitter; it automatically updates your Facebook status when you make a Twitter post.
· The other tool is a free WordPress plug-in called TweetMyBlog that allows you to create a two-way connection from your blogs to Twitter. TweetMyBlog allows you to use a widget on your WordPress blogs that will display your current Twitter feed. That way all visitors to your blog can look at the widget and see a running feed of your latest Twitter posts. If they click on that they will be brought to your Twitter page.
In addition, when you make a new post to your blog, TweetMyBlog will automatically make a post to your Twitter page with a link to your latest blog post. Imagine the extra exposure you can receive by using these tools that help people see more of what you are doing.
Here is my gift to you, a resource list withpiles of Twitter tools and resources. You will also see my strategy of the ‘onetime’ offer leading to the signup page for my newsletter before getting the resources list – plus many other free EBooks.
Get it at www.frankstoptips.com/TwitterToolbox.zip
Frank Furness CSP CFP TOT is a professional speaker and trainer specialising in technology, sales and customer service. He has educated, entertained and inspired audiences in 48 countries.
Frank is the author of bestselling books ‘Walking with Tigers – Success Secrets of the World’s Top Business Leaders’ and ‘How to Find New Clients and Business’
NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to frank@frankfurness.com
Take a look at other articles, free software and e-Books at http://www.frankfurness.com/
Download 39 Power Sales Closing Scripts at http://www.frankfurness.com/closingscripts.cfm
For more articles, please take a look at my website http://www.frankfurness.com and please download complimentary eBooks and software at http://www.frankfurnessresources.com
Increase sales - It's Back to Basics
Working all over the world with organisations and individuals, I often hear the same questions, “times are tough, what shall we do?” My answer is always the same, go back to basics.
If I look at some of the top sports people that I work with, they follow four basic steps:
· Planning – what do we need to do
· Preparation – how are we going to do it
· Execution – actually doing it
· Review – what went well and what do we need to change to be even better
These same rules apply to business.
I always tell my clients that they need to do two basic things right now:
· Look after your existing clients better than ever before
· Double you marketing and sales efforts and keep prospecting for new business
Look after your existing clients better than ever before:
1 - How well do you know your existing clients? Here is an exercise for you and your team:
List your top 10 clients and then list 10 things you know about them. This exercise surprises some of my clients at how little their sales team really know about their key clients. Here are some of the ‘back to basics’ things we should know:
· Who is the key decision maker and how much do you know about them.
· What is their personality type?
· How and when do they like to be contacted? Is it face to face, email or phone and when is the best time to contact them? Is it the beginning of the week, the end of the week, first thing in the morning or later during the day? In fact have you ever asked your top clients these questions?
· What are the motivators for doing business with you – are they motivated by cost/value/service/relationship
· What are their buying patterns – how often do they buy and what are their budgets or average order size
· Why do they do business with you rather than your competitors
· What would cause them to move to your competition
· What level of service do they expect and are you delivering that service
Remember, four Critical Advantages Your Competitors Can Never Have
• Your knowledge
• Your marketing
• Your people
• Your systems
Rate yourself in each of these areas and see what needs to be improved.
These days customers are…
Smarter
Leaner
More demanding
Less forgiving
Less loyal
Harder to satisfy
Price conscious
Contacted by more competitors
What are the basics needed to keep your top clients?
2 - Double you marketing and sales efforts and keep prospecting for new business
Now is really the time to get back to basics and review your prospecting efforts. Get the team together and have a brain storming exercise on ways t o find new business. Here are some of my suggestions:
• Warm/cold Calling
• Referrals
• Clubs & Social contacts
• Centres of influence
• Professional connections
• Observation
• Old Clients
• Networking
• Internet
• Websites
• CEO marketing
• Associations and trade bodies
• Give speeches where potential clients can see you as the expert in your field or type of business. (Take a look at my resource)
• Article marketing
• PR and advertising
Once you have identified potential ways of finding new business, prepare an action plan. Each quarter, review and see which methods are the most effective and bring the most results. Most importantly, which are giving you the best return on investment in terms of time, effort and cost? Now concentrate on doing more of what works.
Take a look at the resource I have developed on ‘Finding new business and clients’
Frank Furness CSP is a bestselling author and international conference speaker on sales and technology. To book Frank for your next conference email frank@frankfurness.com
Get more resources and free eBooks at http://www.frankstoptips.com/resources
If I look at some of the top sports people that I work with, they follow four basic steps:
· Planning – what do we need to do
· Preparation – how are we going to do it
· Execution – actually doing it
· Review – what went well and what do we need to change to be even better
These same rules apply to business.
I always tell my clients that they need to do two basic things right now:
· Look after your existing clients better than ever before
· Double you marketing and sales efforts and keep prospecting for new business
Look after your existing clients better than ever before:
1 - How well do you know your existing clients? Here is an exercise for you and your team:
List your top 10 clients and then list 10 things you know about them. This exercise surprises some of my clients at how little their sales team really know about their key clients. Here are some of the ‘back to basics’ things we should know:
· Who is the key decision maker and how much do you know about them.
· What is their personality type?
· How and when do they like to be contacted? Is it face to face, email or phone and when is the best time to contact them? Is it the beginning of the week, the end of the week, first thing in the morning or later during the day? In fact have you ever asked your top clients these questions?
· What are the motivators for doing business with you – are they motivated by cost/value/service/relationship
· What are their buying patterns – how often do they buy and what are their budgets or average order size
· Why do they do business with you rather than your competitors
· What would cause them to move to your competition
· What level of service do they expect and are you delivering that service
Remember, four Critical Advantages Your Competitors Can Never Have
• Your knowledge
• Your marketing
• Your people
• Your systems
Rate yourself in each of these areas and see what needs to be improved.
These days customers are…
Smarter
Leaner
More demanding
Less forgiving
Less loyal
Harder to satisfy
Price conscious
Contacted by more competitors
What are the basics needed to keep your top clients?
2 - Double you marketing and sales efforts and keep prospecting for new business
Now is really the time to get back to basics and review your prospecting efforts. Get the team together and have a brain storming exercise on ways t o find new business. Here are some of my suggestions:
• Warm/cold Calling
• Referrals
• Clubs & Social contacts
• Centres of influence
• Professional connections
• Observation
• Old Clients
• Networking
• Internet
• Websites
• CEO marketing
• Associations and trade bodies
• Give speeches where potential clients can see you as the expert in your field or type of business. (Take a look at my resource)
• Article marketing
• PR and advertising
Once you have identified potential ways of finding new business, prepare an action plan. Each quarter, review and see which methods are the most effective and bring the most results. Most importantly, which are giving you the best return on investment in terms of time, effort and cost? Now concentrate on doing more of what works.
Take a look at the resource I have developed on ‘Finding new business and clients’
Frank Furness CSP is a bestselling author and international conference speaker on sales and technology. To book Frank for your next conference email frank@frankfurness.com
Get more resources and free eBooks at http://www.frankstoptips.com/resources
Opportunities in 2009
Brian Tracy
This year has been busy extremely so far, mainly as a result of intensive marketing efforts by Candice and me. I have just returned from a month away speaking in Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia, followed by 2 weeks in South Africa and a week in Estonia..
I love Australia and did eleven talks in five cities. It is definitely one of my favourite countries, great people, weather, food and attitude. I also met some wonderful people; take a look at my interview with cricketing legend Max Walker. I was also fortunate enough to be featured on radio and ABC TV.
When I arrived in Brisbane I was told that there were only two keynote speakers, myself and Brian Tracy who would be presenting before me. I jokingly asked if it was ‘THE’ Brian Tracy and was told, that it was. (I can always say he was my warm-up act). He was incredible and a great person, take a look at my photo with him.
Take a look at my Ausie photos.
A few words of thanks to my best friend from school, Michael Dredge who lives in Melbourne and who I met up with after 30 years and great friends from Cape Town, Miles and Erayne Stuart who have now settled in Brisbane and showed me some of the sights and fed me at some of their top restaurants. Thanks also to the National Speakers Association of Australia who organised the speaking tour and looked after me incredibly well.
After that it was off to South Africa where I spoke at the Global Speakers Conference in Cape Town and was lucky enough to experience the street parade for the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Then it was off to a private Game Lodge called Mabula Lodge. There is nothing quite like an African sunrise and sunset and seeing the incredible animals in their natural habitat. We hired a four bedroom house with a pool in the wild and invited family to spend time with us. This was far better than our normal time rushing around from one family member to the next and arriving home exhausted. Take a look at the photos and videos.
Right now I am sitting in my hotel room in Tallinn in Estonia where I presented last night. I have set up a number of meetings and see massive potential for business here in the future. Take a look at the photos of this wonderful city.
My next big venture is my productivity centre website which will have thousands of resources on sales, technology, customer service, marketing, internet marketing, leadership, consulting, speaking skills, coaching, working with the media and plenty more.
There will be hundreds of audio cuts that can be listened to or downloaded to your IPods as well as videos, eBooks, software, articles and plenty more. There will be interviews with industry leaders and updated materials each month and will serve as an incredible resource for any business or individual. There is a huge amount of work and I anticipate that it will be ready by July. I already have the website -
http://www.productivitycentre.com/ it is under construction. My partner in setting this all up is Herb Kelly and his wife Sue who are involved in some of the success of the top internet marketers. Herb and I go back many years to when we first played together in a band at school and then when we started working. The third member of the band was Dassie da Silva, my best friend in South Africa.
At school we were all told by our teachers that anyone who played in a band would end up as failures. I wish those people could see us now, I’m doing ok, Herb is incredibly successful on the internet and Dassie is a successful entrepreneur with more food outlets and restaurants than anyone I know. I wish those teachers could see us now....
Speakers Bootcamp - The good news is I now have the date in the UK for the bootcamp - 5/6 September in Amersham outside London. Download the brochure and book early for a discount and remember, places are limited.
Online Marketing Masterclass has also been confirmed for the 1st August. Download all the details here.
Twitter seems to be the new social networking phenomenon. At first it frustrated me with lots of insignificant drivel posted, until I worked out how this could work as a great branding tool as well as build my subscriber list and very subtly sell my products (actually not, nothing about me has ever been subtle). Please read my article on Twitter and download the resource guide with over 100 Twitter tools.
Follow me on Twitter at
Frank Furness CSP CFP TOT is a professional speaker and trainer specialising in technology, sales and customer service. He has educated, entertained and inspired audiences in 48 countries.
Frank is the author of bestselling books ‘Walking with Tigers – Success Secrets of the World’s Top Business Leaders’ and ‘
How to Find New Clients and Business’ NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to frank@frankfurness.com
Take a look at other articles, free software and e-Books at http://www.frankfurness.com/
Download 39 Power Sales Closing Scripts at http://www.frankfurness.com/closingscripts.cfm
For more articles, please take a look at my website http://www.frankfurness.com and please download complimentary eBooks and software at http://www.frankfurnessresources.com
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Making Money with Youtube
The video revolution is happening. I started my YouTube channel www.youtube.com/salestips a few years ago and now I have 154 videos, most of them making me money with Adsense.
YouTube has revolutionary tools that you can use, here are just a few:
1 - Multiple videos with keywords - take a look at the opening video on my resources site
Scroll along the bottom of the video and see how you can change to any of 24 other videos in the frame.
2 - You will also notice adverts appearing, I make money with Adsense every time someone clicks on an ad and this is adding up rather nicely right now.
3 - You can create your own custom video player.
4 - You can create your own channel and blog - remember to use keywords in the channel name.
5 - You can now brand your videos, take a look at any of my videos and you will see my logo.
6 - Insight is a brilliant tool that will analyse every video - demographics, age profile and best of all hotspots. This shows you when your video is making most and least impact.
Take a look at the video showing just some of these features:
Remember to download my free Ebook called video Blogging for Profits.
I hope you enjoyed this post, please take a look at the videos on some of my other sites:
Frank Furness Website
Frank Furness Resources Website
YouTube Site
YouTube has revolutionary tools that you can use, here are just a few:
1 - Multiple videos with keywords - take a look at the opening video on my resources site
Scroll along the bottom of the video and see how you can change to any of 24 other videos in the frame.
2 - You will also notice adverts appearing, I make money with Adsense every time someone clicks on an ad and this is adding up rather nicely right now.
3 - You can create your own custom video player.
4 - You can create your own channel and blog - remember to use keywords in the channel name.
5 - You can now brand your videos, take a look at any of my videos and you will see my logo.
6 - Insight is a brilliant tool that will analyse every video - demographics, age profile and best of all hotspots. This shows you when your video is making most and least impact.
Take a look at the video showing just some of these features:
Remember to download my free Ebook called video Blogging for Profits.
I hope you enjoyed this post, please take a look at the videos on some of my other sites:
Frank Furness Website
Frank Furness Resources Website
YouTube Site
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Make money with YouTube
YouTube is now one of the most powerful means of getting your message accross on the internet. In the video below I will show you some of the hidden secrets to optimising your videos and amking money with www.youtube.com
Thursday, November 27, 2008
SEO | Search Engine Optimisation | Marketing Tips
Learn some great ways to optimise your website as well as see what is getting your competition to the top of the search engines. Also see the two great free pieces of software that will make this happen.
Watch the video below.
Watch the video below.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Quick Links & Tips
Quick Links...
Free SEO video
Video Blogging for Profits
Your free Ebook
Business Card Scanner Promotion
Royalty Free Music
How to Find New Clients and Business - Book
Hints, Tips & Tricks
Interview with Dan Poynter
Rick Searfoss - Astronaut Interview
Online Sales Secrets Revealed
Viral Video Sales Tips
Frank's Blog
Audio Jukebox
Internet Marketing - Interview with Terry Brock
Wealth Creation Masterclass
Super Affiliate Handbook
Free UPDATED Internet Marketing Ebook
How to recruit top sales talent
Internet Resources
NEW - 80 page Ebook on Google Adwords
How to Find New Clients for Speakers, Trainers, Coaches & Consultants
Free Ebook 'Search Engine Optimisation Made Easy'
Franks resources
How to Get Hired - Recruitment Tips on Video
Frank's YouTube Video Channel
Just for laughs - November 2007
Berlin Photos
Saigon Photos
Thailand Photos
Dubai Photos
Kenya Photos
Interview with the Internet Audio and Video Guy
Free SEO video
Video Blogging for Profits
Your free Ebook
Business Card Scanner Promotion
Royalty Free Music
How to Find New Clients and Business - Book
Hints, Tips & Tricks
Interview with Dan Poynter
Rick Searfoss - Astronaut Interview
Online Sales Secrets Revealed
Viral Video Sales Tips
Frank's Blog
Audio Jukebox
Internet Marketing - Interview with Terry Brock
Wealth Creation Masterclass
Super Affiliate Handbook
Free UPDATED Internet Marketing Ebook
How to recruit top sales talent
Internet Resources
NEW - 80 page Ebook on Google Adwords
How to Find New Clients for Speakers, Trainers, Coaches & Consultants
Free Ebook 'Search Engine Optimisation Made Easy'
Franks resources
How to Get Hired - Recruitment Tips on Video
Frank's YouTube Video Channel
Just for laughs - November 2007
Berlin Photos
Saigon Photos
Thailand Photos
Dubai Photos
Kenya Photos
Interview with the Internet Audio and Video Guy
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Product Review - Video Blogging for Profits by Frank Furness
As you know, I love what is happening on the internet with blogs and video. Imagine the combination of blogging together with videos. Well, there are some people that have become online celebrities with millions of fans and this EBook shares exactly how you can do the same.A few well known personalities and musicians like Oprah Winfrey and even the Queen of England have started their own video blogs.
This eBook is designed to teach novice bloggers how to successfully start their own popular, extremely profitable, video blog. The book will tell you how to set up your own video blog using popular blogging platforms. It will also tell you many ways to profit from your new video blog and how to effectively market it. This eBook provides you with detailed information and many resources that will save you a great deal of time and energy that would have been spent in research along with time and error.
The contents cover:
Chapter 1 – What is Video Blogging
Chapter 2 – Why You Should Start a Video Blog
Chapter 3 – How to Start a Video Blog
Chapter 4 – Profit from Your Vlog
Chapter 5 – Promoting Your Blog
Chapter 6 – Things to Remember
The best part, you can download the EBook immediately for only $7 – that’s a price of a cup of coffee at a good hotel in London. Get it now!
Frank Furness CSP CFP is a professional speaker and trainer specialising in sales and technology. He has educated, entertained and inspired audiences in 42 countries. His publications and sales CDs have been sold globally.
He is the author of ‘Walking with Tigers - Success Secrets of Top Business Leaders’ and ‘How to Find New Clients and Business’
For more information or to sign up for the free ‘Sales Tips & Ideas’ newsletter, email frank@frankfurness.com or telephone+ 44 (0) 1923 248200. http://www.frankfurness.com
NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to frank@frankfurness.com Take a look at other articles, free software and e-Books at http://www.frankfurnessresources.com/
Monday, November 10, 2008
Product Review - Video Blogging for Profits by Frank Furness
As you know, I love what is happening on the internet with blogs and video.
Imagine the combination of blogging together with videos. Well, there are some people that have become online celebrities with millions of fans and this EBook shares exactly how you can do the same.
A few well known personalities and musicians like Oprah Winfrey and even the Queen of England have started their own video blogs.
This eBook is designed to teach novice bloggers how to successfully start their own popular, extremely profitable, video blog.
The book will tell you how to set up your own video blog using popular blogging platforms. It will also tell you many ways to profit from your new video blog and how to effectively market it. This eBook provides you with detailed information and many resources that will save you a great deal of time and energy that would have been spent in research along with time and error.
The contents cover:
Chapter 1 – What is Video Blogging
Chapter 2 – Why You Should Start a Video Blog
Chapter 3 – How to Start a Video Blog
Chapter 4 – Profit from Your Vlog
Chapter 5 – Promoting Your Blog
Chapter 6 – Things to Remember
The best part, you can download the EBook immediately for only $7 – that’s a price of a cup of coffee at a good hotel in London. Get it now!
Frank Furness CSP CFP is a professional speaker and trainer specialising in sales and technology. He has educated, entertained and inspired audiences in 42 countries. His publications and sales CDs have been sold globally. He is the author of ‘Walking with Tigers - Success Secrets of Top Business Leaders’ and ‘How to Find New Clients and Business’
For more information or to sign up for the free ‘Sales Tips & Ideas’ newsletter, email frank@frankfurness.com or telephone+ 44 (0) 1923 248200. http://www.frankfurness.com
NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to frank@frankfurness.com
Take a look at other articles, free software and e-Books at http://www.frankfurnessresources.com/
Download 39 Power Sales Closing Scripts at http://www.frankfurness.com/closingscripts.cfm
Imagine the combination of blogging together with videos. Well, there are some people that have become online celebrities with millions of fans and this EBook shares exactly how you can do the same.
A few well known personalities and musicians like Oprah Winfrey and even the Queen of England have started their own video blogs.
This eBook is designed to teach novice bloggers how to successfully start their own popular, extremely profitable, video blog.
The book will tell you how to set up your own video blog using popular blogging platforms. It will also tell you many ways to profit from your new video blog and how to effectively market it. This eBook provides you with detailed information and many resources that will save you a great deal of time and energy that would have been spent in research along with time and error.
The contents cover:
Chapter 1 – What is Video Blogging
Chapter 2 – Why You Should Start a Video Blog
Chapter 3 – How to Start a Video Blog
Chapter 4 – Profit from Your Vlog
Chapter 5 – Promoting Your Blog
Chapter 6 – Things to Remember
The best part, you can download the EBook immediately for only $7 – that’s a price of a cup of coffee at a good hotel in London. Get it now!
Frank Furness CSP CFP is a professional speaker and trainer specialising in sales and technology. He has educated, entertained and inspired audiences in 42 countries. His publications and sales CDs have been sold globally. He is the author of ‘Walking with Tigers - Success Secrets of Top Business Leaders’ and ‘How to Find New Clients and Business’
For more information or to sign up for the free ‘Sales Tips & Ideas’ newsletter, email frank@frankfurness.com or telephone+ 44 (0) 1923 248200. http://www.frankfurness.com
NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to frank@frankfurness.com
Take a look at other articles, free software and e-Books at http://www.frankfurnessresources.com/
Download 39 Power Sales Closing Scripts at http://www.frankfurness.com/closingscripts.cfm
Technology Tips – Great Website Links by Frank Furness
I am passionate about technology and keep discovering incredible sites. I have just registered www.greatwebsitelinks.com in by the beginning of next year the site will be launched with links to the best sites on the web.
Here are just a few that will be featured:
Video Sites
Revver – http://revver.com
Revver automatically adds adverts to any video post, netting you 50% of the commission
Blinkx – http://blinkx.com
This video search engine indexes more than 26 million hours of online viewing material
Howcast – www.howcast.com
Learn to do something new with a visit to this site. It has stacks of ‘how to’ guides
Also, remember to download the ‘Video Resources List’
Music
Shoutcast – www.shoutcast.com
A massive collection of streaming radio stations covering every genre of music. I love this site and use it all the time to listen to music while I work
SKY.FM – www.sky.fm
Home to 35 streaming radio channels including Smooth Jazz and the best of the 80s
Live 365 – www.live365.com
Lets you listen to thousands of radio stations from around the world
Photos
Flickr – www.flickr.com
The biggest and best photo sharing site on the net. Also offers great tools
Photosynth – http://photosynth.net
Turn your photos into 3D panoramas
Morguefile – www.morguefile.com
A huge collection of royalty free images that you can use for anything
As a bonus to the technology section this month my good friend Derek Gehl has decided to take a stand...
He's exposing the TRUTH behind search engine marketing.
Derek has created a free training video to show you his "Simple 3-Step Formula" that will help you attract FLOODS of eager buyers with a top search ranking.
Click here to watch the video.
More next issue of the newsletter...
Frank Furness CSP CFP is a professional speaker and trainer specialising in sales and technology. He has educated, entertained and inspired audiences in 48 countries.
His publications and sales CDs have been sold globally. He is the author of ‘Walking with Tigers - Success Secrets of Top Business Leaders’ and ‘How to Find New Clients and Business’
For more information or to sign up for the free ‘Sales Tips & Ideas’ newsletter, email frank@frankfurness.com or telephone+ 44 (0) 1923 248200. http://www.frankfurness.com
NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to frank@frankfurness.com
Take a look at other articles, free software and e-Books at http://www.frankfurnessresources.com/
Download 39 Power Sales Closing Scripts at http://www.frankfurness.com/closingscripts.cfm
Here are just a few that will be featured:
Video Sites
Revver – http://revver.com
Revver automatically adds adverts to any video post, netting you 50% of the commission
Blinkx – http://blinkx.com
This video search engine indexes more than 26 million hours of online viewing material
Howcast – www.howcast.com
Learn to do something new with a visit to this site. It has stacks of ‘how to’ guides
Also, remember to download the ‘Video Resources List’
Music
Shoutcast – www.shoutcast.com
A massive collection of streaming radio stations covering every genre of music. I love this site and use it all the time to listen to music while I work
SKY.FM – www.sky.fm
Home to 35 streaming radio channels including Smooth Jazz and the best of the 80s
Live 365 – www.live365.com
Lets you listen to thousands of radio stations from around the world
Photos
Flickr – www.flickr.com
The biggest and best photo sharing site on the net. Also offers great tools
Photosynth – http://photosynth.net
Turn your photos into 3D panoramas
Morguefile – www.morguefile.com
A huge collection of royalty free images that you can use for anything
As a bonus to the technology section this month my good friend Derek Gehl has decided to take a stand...
He's exposing the TRUTH behind search engine marketing.
Derek has created a free training video to show you his "Simple 3-Step Formula" that will help you attract FLOODS of eager buyers with a top search ranking.
Click here to watch the video.
More next issue of the newsletter...
Frank Furness CSP CFP is a professional speaker and trainer specialising in sales and technology. He has educated, entertained and inspired audiences in 48 countries.
His publications and sales CDs have been sold globally. He is the author of ‘Walking with Tigers - Success Secrets of Top Business Leaders’ and ‘How to Find New Clients and Business’
For more information or to sign up for the free ‘Sales Tips & Ideas’ newsletter, email frank@frankfurness.com or telephone+ 44 (0) 1923 248200. http://www.frankfurness.com
NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to frank@frankfurness.com
Take a look at other articles, free software and e-Books at http://www.frankfurnessresources.com/
Download 39 Power Sales Closing Scripts at http://www.frankfurness.com/closingscripts.cfm
Managing your business through challenging times by Frank Furness
Right now most businesses and individuals are faced with challenging times. Every Television station, radio station and newspaper is reporting on the doom and gloom (how is it that they rarely report good news) and the more people hear it, the more they believe it.
The good news is that everyone has a choice. Here are my strategies to manage your business through challenging times
Cutting or apportioning costs - is there anywhere where costs can be cut that will have little detrimental effect on the business. Now is the time to take a good look at the balance sheet and staff and see who and what is giving the company the best returns and who and what are not, and then making some difficult but effective decisions.
Culling time wasters – we all know the Pareto principle, that 80% of your profits come from 20% of your clients. Every organisation has those wonderful 20% of clients who are great to deal with, always pay on time and will stay loyal through challenging times. These clients are pure gold! How well do you look after them and how many referrals do you ask for from them?
Here is an effective exercise – write down the names of your top ten clients and then write down ten things you know about each of these clients. Get everyone at your company to do the same thing and you might be surprised at how little they know about your top clients. How do they like to be communicated with (email, phone or face to face), how often do they like to be contacted, what are their prime motivators in doing business with you, who are their top clients (and plenty more).
This is the time to really take care of these top clients, make them feel special and let them know that you appreciate their business.
Next you have your 60% of clients who will stay with you if you look after them, but could just as easily move somewhere else if they feel neglected. Right now is the time to keep in touch and ensure that all your staff really takes care of these ‘steady eddy’ clients.
Eight percent of your problems, headaches and unpaid accounts will come from your bottom 20% of your clients. They will give you eighty percent of your hassles.
Do you have a client that when you see a message from them or an email, you immediately tense up because you know it is going to be bad news. Now is the time to rid yourself of these clients and concentrate on your top twenty who will easily replace the business with no headaches and you will sleep easier.
The best decision I ever made was to stop working with two organisations that had given me a fair amount of work over the years, but more stress and hassles than you can imagine. Every time they booked me for a talk or training it would be a huge fee negotiation and then having to wait to get paid. I easily replaced them with clients that I enjoy working with.
Develop a 10 touch plan – how many times a year do you stay in contact with your clients, remember out of sight is out of mind. If you are not visible, your competition will be!
The easiest way is to have an effective newsletter or ezine. Take a look at Constant contact and read my blog article on how to develop an effective newsletter.
Sharpen your sales skills – right now is the time you should be sharpening the skills of all your sales people. This is not the time to cut costs on sales training, but rather the time to invest in your sales people and make sure that their skills are sharp and they will be bringing in the sales that will see you through the challenging times.
Sharpen their skills in every area: prospecting and finding new business, telesales, developing rapport, asking effective questions, finding and presenting creative and valuable solutions and closing and overcoming objections.
Now is the perfect time for a ‘back to basics’ course and of course this is where I can assist, so please give me a call on 44 (0) 1923 248200 for training, coaching, mentoring or to speak at your conference. Take a look at some of my latest testimonials.
Also, take a look at my 15 CD ‘Sales Strategies for Small Business and SME’s’ course.
Upsell and cross sell – McDonalds are masters of this. By asking one simple question – ‘do you want to go large’ they upsell most of their customers. Are you doing the same with your customers?
Do they know all the products or services you have to offer and are all your sales people up selling? In the next issue I will be writing an article on cross and up selling.
Increase your marketing efforts – this is the time you cannot sit back and wait for the clients to call. You need to up your marketing efforts dramatically. Here are some ideas you can use:
Create an awareness of your company:
• Sponsor a local sports team
• Sponsor local industry awards – donate a trophy for the best new business in your area with your local chamber of commerce. When the award is given, you will get great free publicity and be featured in your local newspapers
Let people know exactly what you do
• Create brochures or marketing materials that are client focused and not ‘you’ focused.
• See your website as a sales and marketing vehicle. Ensure you have the right sales copy, your website is search engine optimised and you know the exact statistics of your traffic. If you need assistance in this area, please contact me for consulting that will have your website driving traffic and sales.
• Newsletter – let your clients know exactly what you do in your newsletter
• Provide ‘subject matter’ expert articles in clients trade press.
Let your clients know that you can do it better than your competition
• Speaking as subject matter experts at industry conferences
• Speaking at individual client conferences and meetings
Taking action
More face to face meetings and pitches than ever before with well qualified prospects.
Set Goals and stay motivated – now is the time more than ever to set your goals and stay motivated. Avoid all the negative press and people and reward yourself for your achievements. Take a look at 'It's all About YOU'
Opt out of the recession – we all have a choice, mine is to opt out of the recession and concentrate on areas of my business that are profitable.
Frank Furness CSP CFP is a professional speaker and trainer specialising in sales and technology. He has educated, entertained and inspired audiences in 48 countries.
His publications and sales CDs have been sold globally. He is the author of ‘Walking with Tigers - Success Secrets of Top Business Leaders’ and ‘How to Find New Clients and Business’
For more information or to sign up for the free ‘Sales Tips & Ideas’ newsletter, email frank@frankfurness.com or telephone+ 44 (0) 1923 248200. http://www.frankfurness.com/
NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to frank@frankfurness.com
Take a look at other articles, free software and e-Books at http://www.frankfurnessresources.com/
Download 39 Power Sales Closing Scripts at http://www.frankfurness.com/closingscripts.cfm
The good news is that everyone has a choice. Here are my strategies to manage your business through challenging times
Cutting or apportioning costs - is there anywhere where costs can be cut that will have little detrimental effect on the business. Now is the time to take a good look at the balance sheet and staff and see who and what is giving the company the best returns and who and what are not, and then making some difficult but effective decisions.
Culling time wasters – we all know the Pareto principle, that 80% of your profits come from 20% of your clients. Every organisation has those wonderful 20% of clients who are great to deal with, always pay on time and will stay loyal through challenging times. These clients are pure gold! How well do you look after them and how many referrals do you ask for from them?
Here is an effective exercise – write down the names of your top ten clients and then write down ten things you know about each of these clients. Get everyone at your company to do the same thing and you might be surprised at how little they know about your top clients. How do they like to be communicated with (email, phone or face to face), how often do they like to be contacted, what are their prime motivators in doing business with you, who are their top clients (and plenty more).
This is the time to really take care of these top clients, make them feel special and let them know that you appreciate their business.
Next you have your 60% of clients who will stay with you if you look after them, but could just as easily move somewhere else if they feel neglected. Right now is the time to keep in touch and ensure that all your staff really takes care of these ‘steady eddy’ clients.
Eight percent of your problems, headaches and unpaid accounts will come from your bottom 20% of your clients. They will give you eighty percent of your hassles.
Do you have a client that when you see a message from them or an email, you immediately tense up because you know it is going to be bad news. Now is the time to rid yourself of these clients and concentrate on your top twenty who will easily replace the business with no headaches and you will sleep easier.
The best decision I ever made was to stop working with two organisations that had given me a fair amount of work over the years, but more stress and hassles than you can imagine. Every time they booked me for a talk or training it would be a huge fee negotiation and then having to wait to get paid. I easily replaced them with clients that I enjoy working with.
Develop a 10 touch plan – how many times a year do you stay in contact with your clients, remember out of sight is out of mind. If you are not visible, your competition will be!
The easiest way is to have an effective newsletter or ezine. Take a look at Constant contact and read my blog article on how to develop an effective newsletter.
Sharpen your sales skills – right now is the time you should be sharpening the skills of all your sales people. This is not the time to cut costs on sales training, but rather the time to invest in your sales people and make sure that their skills are sharp and they will be bringing in the sales that will see you through the challenging times.
Sharpen their skills in every area: prospecting and finding new business, telesales, developing rapport, asking effective questions, finding and presenting creative and valuable solutions and closing and overcoming objections.
Now is the perfect time for a ‘back to basics’ course and of course this is where I can assist, so please give me a call on 44 (0) 1923 248200 for training, coaching, mentoring or to speak at your conference. Take a look at some of my latest testimonials.
Also, take a look at my 15 CD ‘Sales Strategies for Small Business and SME’s’ course.
Upsell and cross sell – McDonalds are masters of this. By asking one simple question – ‘do you want to go large’ they upsell most of their customers. Are you doing the same with your customers?
Do they know all the products or services you have to offer and are all your sales people up selling? In the next issue I will be writing an article on cross and up selling.
Increase your marketing efforts – this is the time you cannot sit back and wait for the clients to call. You need to up your marketing efforts dramatically. Here are some ideas you can use:
Create an awareness of your company:
• Sponsor a local sports team
• Sponsor local industry awards – donate a trophy for the best new business in your area with your local chamber of commerce. When the award is given, you will get great free publicity and be featured in your local newspapers
Let people know exactly what you do
• Create brochures or marketing materials that are client focused and not ‘you’ focused.
• See your website as a sales and marketing vehicle. Ensure you have the right sales copy, your website is search engine optimised and you know the exact statistics of your traffic. If you need assistance in this area, please contact me for consulting that will have your website driving traffic and sales.
• Newsletter – let your clients know exactly what you do in your newsletter
• Provide ‘subject matter’ expert articles in clients trade press.
Let your clients know that you can do it better than your competition
• Speaking as subject matter experts at industry conferences
• Speaking at individual client conferences and meetings
Taking action
More face to face meetings and pitches than ever before with well qualified prospects.
Set Goals and stay motivated – now is the time more than ever to set your goals and stay motivated. Avoid all the negative press and people and reward yourself for your achievements. Take a look at 'It's all About YOU'
Opt out of the recession – we all have a choice, mine is to opt out of the recession and concentrate on areas of my business that are profitable.
Frank Furness CSP CFP is a professional speaker and trainer specialising in sales and technology. He has educated, entertained and inspired audiences in 48 countries.
His publications and sales CDs have been sold globally. He is the author of ‘Walking with Tigers - Success Secrets of Top Business Leaders’ and ‘How to Find New Clients and Business’
For more information or to sign up for the free ‘Sales Tips & Ideas’ newsletter, email frank@frankfurness.com or telephone+ 44 (0) 1923 248200. http://www.frankfurness.com/
NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to frank@frankfurness.com
Take a look at other articles, free software and e-Books at http://www.frankfurnessresources.com/
Download 39 Power Sales Closing Scripts at http://www.frankfurness.com/closingscripts.cfm
Public Speaking in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland by Frank Furness
Scotland
Moving north, you will experience the warmth and friendliness of the Scots. When you think of Scotland you can picture a burly Scot in his kilt playing the bagpipes and I’m sure you must have tasted the world’s best single malt whisky, which is produced here. Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful and elegant cities in Europe. Visit Edinburgh Castle and once again tempt your palate at one of the many restaurants on the Royal Mile. Plan your visit to coincide with the Edinburgh Festival and enjoy endless entertainment and parties.
Glasgow is the home of the famous comedian, Billy Connolly and also has numerous conferences and speaking assignments.
On the west coast near Ben Nevis, which is one of the highest mountains in Britain, you will find the picturesque town of Fort William. Take the steam train ride to Mallaig and see some of the most beautiful and rugged countryside. Not far from there, stay over at Drumnadrochit and take a boat ride on the Loch Ness in search of Nessie, the famous Loch Ness Monster.
Aberdeen, the Granite City is on the east coast of Scotland with its oil companies and a base for North Sea exploration, also has many speaking opportunities. Remember to bring your raincoats and warm clothing, as it’s cold and wet.
Wales
If you have a speaking engagement in Wales, it will most probably be in Cardiff, the capital. Visit the wonderful little villages in Wales and experience the wonderful Welsh hospitality. It takes a while to become accustomed to their “singing” accent and it’s one of the most difficult languages I’ve come across, but don’t despair, all signs are in Welsh but in English too.
Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland your speaking assignment will most probably be in Belfast, which is a divided city. On one of my visits there, I asked the taxi driver to take me on a tour to the two infamous streets, Shankhill Road and Falls Road and when I wanted him to stop to enable me to take a photograph, he thought I was crazy. Stay in the most bombed hotel in the world and visit the docks where the Titanic was built but most of all enjoy the warmth and friendliness of the people.
Republic of Ireland
Southern Ireland has the biggest party town in Europe, which is of course Dublin. With very little unemployment in Dublin, speaking opportunities are in abundance. The audiences are wonderful and appreciative with a keen sense of humour.
They love stories and are some of the best storytellers I’ve ever heard. Enjoy the “craick” which is slang for partying and enjoying yourself. Travel south to Limerick and Cork for the beauty that Ireland is renowned for. One of my favourite experiences is travelling through the small villages and stopping off at the pubs.
You will soon forget the cold and wet outside as you enter the warmth of the pub, created by a large fire in the corner fireplace, and listen to a musician quietly playing Irish music while you sip at your whiskey, wonderful! Also ensure you visit the famous pub “Dirty Nellie’s”.
Frank Furness CSP CFP is a professional speaker and trainer specialising in sales and technology. He has educated, entertained and inspired audiences in 48 countries. His publications and sales CDs have been sold globally.
He is the author of ‘Walking with Tigers - Success Secrets of Top Business Leaders’ and ‘How to Find New Clients and Business’
For more information or to sign up for the free ‘Sales Tips & Ideas’ newsletter, email frank@frankfurness.com or telephone+ 44 (0) 1923 248200. http://www.frankfurness.com
NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to frank@frankfurness.com Take a look at other articles, free software and e-Books at http://www.frankfurnessresources.com/
Download 39 Power Sales Closing Scripts at http://www.frankfurness.com/closingscripts.cfm
Moving north, you will experience the warmth and friendliness of the Scots. When you think of Scotland you can picture a burly Scot in his kilt playing the bagpipes and I’m sure you must have tasted the world’s best single malt whisky, which is produced here. Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful and elegant cities in Europe. Visit Edinburgh Castle and once again tempt your palate at one of the many restaurants on the Royal Mile. Plan your visit to coincide with the Edinburgh Festival and enjoy endless entertainment and parties.
Glasgow is the home of the famous comedian, Billy Connolly and also has numerous conferences and speaking assignments.
On the west coast near Ben Nevis, which is one of the highest mountains in Britain, you will find the picturesque town of Fort William. Take the steam train ride to Mallaig and see some of the most beautiful and rugged countryside. Not far from there, stay over at Drumnadrochit and take a boat ride on the Loch Ness in search of Nessie, the famous Loch Ness Monster.
Aberdeen, the Granite City is on the east coast of Scotland with its oil companies and a base for North Sea exploration, also has many speaking opportunities. Remember to bring your raincoats and warm clothing, as it’s cold and wet.
Wales
If you have a speaking engagement in Wales, it will most probably be in Cardiff, the capital. Visit the wonderful little villages in Wales and experience the wonderful Welsh hospitality. It takes a while to become accustomed to their “singing” accent and it’s one of the most difficult languages I’ve come across, but don’t despair, all signs are in Welsh but in English too.
Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland your speaking assignment will most probably be in Belfast, which is a divided city. On one of my visits there, I asked the taxi driver to take me on a tour to the two infamous streets, Shankhill Road and Falls Road and when I wanted him to stop to enable me to take a photograph, he thought I was crazy. Stay in the most bombed hotel in the world and visit the docks where the Titanic was built but most of all enjoy the warmth and friendliness of the people.
Republic of Ireland
Southern Ireland has the biggest party town in Europe, which is of course Dublin. With very little unemployment in Dublin, speaking opportunities are in abundance. The audiences are wonderful and appreciative with a keen sense of humour.
They love stories and are some of the best storytellers I’ve ever heard. Enjoy the “craick” which is slang for partying and enjoying yourself. Travel south to Limerick and Cork for the beauty that Ireland is renowned for. One of my favourite experiences is travelling through the small villages and stopping off at the pubs.
You will soon forget the cold and wet outside as you enter the warmth of the pub, created by a large fire in the corner fireplace, and listen to a musician quietly playing Irish music while you sip at your whiskey, wonderful! Also ensure you visit the famous pub “Dirty Nellie’s”.
Frank Furness CSP CFP is a professional speaker and trainer specialising in sales and technology. He has educated, entertained and inspired audiences in 48 countries. His publications and sales CDs have been sold globally.
He is the author of ‘Walking with Tigers - Success Secrets of Top Business Leaders’ and ‘How to Find New Clients and Business’
For more information or to sign up for the free ‘Sales Tips & Ideas’ newsletter, email frank@frankfurness.com or telephone+ 44 (0) 1923 248200. http://www.frankfurness.com
NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to frank@frankfurness.com Take a look at other articles, free software and e-Books at http://www.frankfurnessresources.com/
Download 39 Power Sales Closing Scripts at http://www.frankfurness.com/closingscripts.cfm
Your Hidden Sales Force by Frank Furness
The economy is affecting so many businesses right now and this is the time to be pro-active and get back to basics.
This is also the time to focus on sales and finding new business and clients.
So, this is the time right now to evaluate your three sales forces and optimise them all for effectiveness.
NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to frank@frankfurness.com Take a look at other articles, free software and e-Books at http://www.frankfurnessresources.com/
This is also the time to focus on sales and finding new business and clients.
Having worked in 48 countries with numerous organisations and individuals I have discovered that just about every company has three sales forces:
The traditional sales force
The unrecognised sales force
The unseen sales force
The unrecognised sales force – this is everyone that works for your company that is not involved in direct sales, but has contact with your clients and prospective clients. These are your account clerks, truck drivers, technicians, essentially everyone that works for you. It is traditionally known as customer services, but it is much more than that.
I worked with a company in Pennsylvania where I was booked to do a one day sales seminar. When I arrived, there was an audience of about 200 people and when I mentioned to the CEO that he had a huge sales force, he said this was not the case. Only 25% of the audience were sales people, the rest were chemists, truck drivers, clerks and maintenance workers. He said that he wanted everyone to know that they were relationship managers and sales people. If a truck driver was rude when making a delivery, he could lose his biggest client.
So with your organisation, is everyone sales focused, have you provided them with the right sales training as well as ongoing skills and customer service training? Without constant training and motivation, your company will soon be lagging behind the competition.
Remember, I can help with your organisations sales and technology training and consultancy.
The unseen sales force – These are the people looking for the products or services that you offer on the internet. If your website does not show up in the first page of a search or if your sales copy on your site is weak, you will be losing a ton of business to the competition.
Try this exercise: put yourself in the position of a prospective client and write down all the keywords or phrases you think they would type into a Google search if they were looking for your products or services. Now take these words and type them into Google and see who comes up on the first page. If you are not there, you will see your competitors who will be taking the business away from you.
If you are in a very competitive area, you can try paid advertising (pay per click) which will get you to the top of the searches, but this will cost you a fortune if you don’t know what you are doing. Once again, this is an area where I can help with training or consulting services.
My 60 websites are bringing in a steady income stream and I have found a ‘whiz’ who is a specialist in Google Adwords that almost guarantees me top placings for some of my sites. Drop me an email at
frank@frankfurness.com and I’ll put you in touch with him if you are interested.So, this is the time right now to evaluate your three sales forces and optimise them all for effectiveness.
Frank Furness CSP CFP is a professional speaker and trainer specialising in sales and technology. He has educated, entertained and inspired audiences in 42 countries. His publications and sales CDs have been sold globally. He is the author of ‘Walking with Tigers - Success Secrets of Top Business Leaders’ and ‘How to Find New Clients and Business’
For more information or to sign up for the free ‘Sales Tips & Ideas’ newsletter, email
NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to frank@frankfurness.com Take a look at other articles, free software and e-Books at http://www.frankfurnessresources.com/
Download 39 Power Sales Closing Scripts at http://www.frankfurness.com/closingscripts.cfm
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