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SCORE Fox Valley Newsletter
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Greetings!
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A Word from the Co-editors
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Mike Toland and Bruce Marino invite you to SCORE Virtual Adviser Workshops. You will find free Spanish Webinars, just click and view details. SCORE.org will provide additional Spanish topics and again it's FREE.
jmichaeltoland@gmail.com bwmarino@hotmail.com
| Direct Mail Pros and Cons | |
Did you know? With web marketing, you can see who reads a page, if they looked at other pages on your website, or if they immediately left. Traffic analysis reports can be an invaluable market study tool because they not only show who is visiting your website, but how they find it, what they read, and even what keywords drove them to your site.
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| Direct Mail Marketing vs. Internet Marketing | How does direct mail marketing compare with Internet marketing? Is direct mail marketing better than Internet marketing?
With postal and printing rates soaring is direct mail marketing worth the expense? That depends. But if you can reach a targeted market with a website - do it. It is cheaper, offers a wider range of customer opportunities, and it is easier to analyze website traffic and sales and make immediate, often inexpensive adjustments to your ad campaigns. |
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[I]t's now urgent for executives and managers to acquire network leadership skills in order to succeed."
| Tips for Selling More at Trade Shows & Craft Fairs & More | |
Where I live, I know spring has truly arrived when the Farmers' Market moves to its outdoor digs - and that's finally happening.
Whether there's a Farmers' Market opening near you or not, this time of year heralds the opening of the show circuit, from garden and home shows through art and craft fairs. My Tips for Selling More at Trade Shows & Craft Fairs will help you get the season off to a good start.
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Scheduled Workshops:
Leadership & Communications 5 - NIU Campus 6/3/2015 @ 7:30 - 9:00 AM
Content Marketing of your Business -Facebook - Elmhurst Library 6/11/2015 @ 6:30 PM
Search Engine Organization - Naperville (Jefferson St) Library 6/18/2015 @ 6:30 PM
Marketing Your Artwork - Site TBD 6/26/2015 @ time TBD
Exploring Small Business Ownership - Franchising - Elmhurst Library 7/9/2015 @ 6:30 PM
The Costs of Organizing a Business - Naperville (Jefferson St) Library 7/15/2015 @ 6:30 PM
Writing a Business Plan Using Library Resources - Elmhurst Library 8/13/2015 @ 6:30 PM
Business Planning in Depth - Naperville (Jefferson St) Library 8/25/2015 @ 6:30 PM
SCORE Virtual Adviser Workshops
Thanks to the relentless effort of Peter Fong (Central Valley SCORE) and Dennis Jones (SW Missouri SCORE), the popular Virtual Advisor workshops are back on score.org. These e-learning modules provide valuable training on basic business strategies. Available in English and Spanish, you can find information or, developing a business plan, pricing, managing cash flow, building your business plan, identify target markets and more.Click here for the full list of workshops. | |
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The Art of Reaching "Yes"!
10 Tried and True Sales Tips for Products and Services
By Mike Toland, SCORE Fox Valley
My 37 year business career was a roller coaster ride of various assignments and positions ranging from mundane customer service posts for an insurance company early in my career to mediating complex, multi-million dollar disputes and litigation, a specialty for my last twenty years in business. In every position and nearly every circumstance, my primary goal was to convince a policyholder, a plaintiff attorney or an industry group that my word was good, and that my offer was the best. I was selling all the time, and it may not have been a dishwasher or an automobile or a cable subscription deal, but it was selling in its purest form, for my goal was to convince my audience that I was right, and my offer was the best available.
In retrospect, here are 10 basic behaviors that worked well for me during my career:
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You yourself must be totally convinced that your terms or product are superior.
If you are not totally sold in what you are selling, your lack of conviction will be apparent.
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Explain your product, service or idea clearly, directly and simply as possible.
The biggest problem in sales is client or buyer confusion. Confusion does lead frequently to YES.
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Know your client or audience.
Research pays off in many ways. One size hardly fits all, and heightened awareness reflects strength and superior ability.
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Be careful when applying pressure.
Creating fear, uncertainty and doubt can be a powerful motivator, but know your limits and don't exceed them and anger the client.
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The presentation is everything.
You have the chance you have been striving for, so don't blow it. Practice your pitch or story, memorize it, have a firm handle on facts and figures, and be prepared to change direction or shift emphasis as the energy flow with your client intensifies or wanes.
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Be passionate - let them know you mean it!
In a sales or "conviction" setting, nothing is less impressive than a detached or aloof attitude. You are about to change the life of your buyer, as well as yourself. Be excited and motivate!
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Do not, under any circumstances, fabricate answers or facts.
In a sales or "conviction" situation, credibility must be un-questioned. You may be asked a question by someone who already knows the answer. Don't flunk the honesty test.
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Humor or levity almost always lighten the mood, but be careful.
Funny stories seemingly always work, but be careful about your choice of ice breaker. The market for offending is nearly as large as befriending.
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Don't be a politician.
Answer questions directly, don't fabricate a response. If you are unsure, commit to a prompt reply, then deliver promptly.
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Your pitch or presentation always can always be improved.
Even if you landed the business or struck the deal, get off your high horse. Learn what worked and impressed your buyer or audience to choose you. If you don't, you will be quickly surpassed.
These actions worked consistently for me, as they have for others. They are certainly not the glitziest techniques of selling, but are time tested, effective building blocks of persuasion.
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Emotional Intelligence
Harvard Business Review StaffSeveral years ago, Emotional Intelligence (EI) became the hot buzzword in leadership. In 2004 Mayer defined it in the Harvard Business Review as the ability to accurately perceive your own and others' emotions and signals that emotions send about relationships.
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How Facebook's "Instant Articles" will work The "Instant Articles" from top publishers that will appear on Facebook load in a flash, feature minimal branding and can include expandable images, GIFs and motion graphics. "[T]he results are unquestionably more seamless articles than anything you'd get by linking from Facebook's mobile app to a third-party media site," writes Lance Ulanoff
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