(The following is excerpted from the author’s second edition of Revealed! Smartselling Strategies.)

If you are an employee of a company, the primary marketing of your products will probably be handled by the company. However, if you are an independent salesperson and the responsibility for marketing is yours, or if you are new at sales, you may want to consider taking a short course in basic marketing.

There are many courses offered online designed to be completed at your own pace and in your own time. Also, explore new marketing strategies that will help you advance your market outreach. … Read the rest

I am so amazed by the miracle of videoconferencing. The fact that we have much higher bandwidth today to accomplish it, and brilliantly clear video and audio, makes using these wonders of technology ideal for collaborating, connecting and building community.

But the technology alone is not good enough.

I just returned from a business trip to Greece where I was able to see, for the first time, that country’s beautiful ocean-side communities, the marvels of ancient Athens with the Parthenon and the Acropolis, and even more. By “even more” I mean getting a chance to see what it is really … Read the rest

We often hear the outcry of jobs being lost or sent overseas.

Many today are hurt by the loss of their job, and even more are stuck in dead-end jobs they tolerate only because they have to pay the bills.

Many say that the results of the last presidential election happened largely because people were scared of losing their jobs and tired of seeing a bleak future.

So what is the solution? Is it to bring back old jobs? Should we hope for a 1950s style workplace again?

This is not going to happen. We feel for the people who … Read the rest

Sometimes, entrepreneurs have to be unconventional.

We have a clear example of being unconventional with what the American rebels did against the powerful British Empire to secure American independence. Imagine you’re in this situation:

• You’re up against the greatest military power in the world. The Americans were farmers, hunters, backwoodsmen and “just plain folk.” Any betting person would have said the Colonists didn’t stand a chance at the beginning of the conflict.
• You feel all alone. The Americans had no other nation backing them at the outset. In addition to that, the Colonists were not united. Many historians tell us

When you talk to successful business people, they inevitably tell you that it is all about relationships.

This has been true throughout time. It’s true today, and it was true way back in the bazaars of the Middle East centuries ago. People like to do business with those they know, like and trust.

To build success in business, you have to build quality relationships. This takes time, money and energy to do it right. More than anything, it takes the ability to listen to the needs of others and figure out creative ways to help them solve their problems through … Read the rest

Getting attention for your business and your ideas has become a priority for marketers today. Attention is the most precious resource that we have. Seems there are always more videos to watch, podcasts to listen to, articles to read and people who want to “pick our brains” all the time.

It seems to never stop. We are inundated with messages, all trying to get our attention. All of these wonderful marketers (okay, I’m being generous) are vying to get our attention and have us get involved with them and their products and services. Sometimes you just want to turn off … Read the rest

Imagine a world where you immerse yourself into learning, training, and entertainment so vividly real that you forget you’re using a device. That world is not just theoretical. It is called virtual reality, and it is one of the hottest trends in technology today.

Virtual reality was vividly on display at the CES trade show in Las Vegas sponsored by the Consumer Technology Association. For me, this was an exciting time, as I was able to visit the booth of Chinese company 3Glasses as they demonstrated their new D2 headset.

Philip Kong the COO of 3Glasses, gave me my first … Read the rest

Today’s world is mobile-hot, and we now treat our smartphones and tablets like an extension of our bodies. Apps open the power of your mobile device like never before.

Many apps have the ability to increase your productivity, build relationships with customers more (great for relationship marketing), save you money, and make life a lot easier.

All of the apps I’m listing are available on iOS (my choice), and many are also available on Android. Check it out to see what applies in your unique situation.

Here are some that you’ll want to consider:

• Waze

Crowd sharing road and travel … Read the rest

Ask any independent manufacturers’ representative or manufacturer who has several years’ experience under their belt what they feel is the greatest change in how they conduct business and chances are they’ll point to technology.

The constant change and the accompanying growth of the tools that they use to perform their jobs have transformed all of their interactions between themselves and their customers. While some might bemoan the fact the technology to some extent has impersonalized business (i.e., high tech means less high touch), the majority will maintain that today select technologies provide such an enormous leap that we wouldn’t think … Read the rest

The digital media transformation has changed everything for businesses. When anyone and everyone has access to media channels, a compelling online identity is essential to ensuring your company won’t disappear into the din of information overload.

Whether it is a website, blog, or social media presence, digital media requires companies to have a clear position and an arresting message. To be attractive to an audience, people need to know what you are about, what you stand for, and whether they can relate to your identity.

Here are key steps to build a strong online identity.

Crystallize the Purpose

Identify the … Read the rest

The best marketers know that what worked before does not necessarily work today.

The old idea of “push” marketing has now been replaced. It is not even “pull” marketing. Today, the key is to be able to persuade people in a pleasant way to embrace you, your products, and your services.

Today, things are different. You can’t force people to watch your ads. There are so many choices that people are programmed to flip channels at light speed. We have a whole generation trained in “the art of the delete key” when it comes to junk mail.

I recently conducted … Read the rest

When you work in sales every interaction with a prospect is important. So, when you send an e-mail filled with overused phrases, you’re not making the best impression on a potential client. To avoid losing a client over your poor communication skills, avoid these phrases in your sales e-mails.

• “We guarantee the lowest price.”

One thing you can guarantee is that every salesperson in the universe includes this sentence in their sales e-mails. Salespeople should try to get clients to think of the value instead of the price, so don’t make your pitch centered around the price you can offer.… Read the rest

Are you developing a mobile app for your business? You’re not alone. More than 90 percent of companies said that they are planning on increasing their mobile investment in 2016, so you’ll have a lot of competition in the mobile space. How can you stand out and attract the crucial Millennial demographic to use your apps? Follow these tips!

• Focus on Speed

It’s no surprise that Millennials thrive off of instant gratification. After all, they have probably been using technology since before they can even remember. To cater to this need for instant gratification, it’s important that your app performs … Read the rest

LinkedIn is often thought of as a digital resume or a way for job seekers to connect with recruiters and find new opportunities, but it is much more than that. Salespeople can greatly benefit from using this social media platform, not just to update their colleagues on their sales experience, but also to grow their business. Here are some of the many ways LinkedIn can be used to benefit salespeople:

• Research

When a new lead comes through the pipeline, your sales team should hop onto LinkedIn to do a little background research. Is the prospect connected to any of your … Read the rest

People continue to say how cold calling is dead and how in today’s environment, it no longer can be cost justified. The answer is both “yes” and “no.” Let me deal with the “no” first.

In the past few months, I’ve watched numerous salespeople shift all of their prospecting efforts to developing social media with such vehicles as Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook. The problem with this is it becomes a giant time sucker. The payout of social media in terms of developing sales short-term is very poor.

To develop a social media strategy requires time, and I’m a firm believer … Read the rest

With all the new technologies bombarding us every day, it’s become more difficult to decipher a steady path for not only companies but individuals to see what’s ahead. How do we guide employees through this new technology and look for the competitive advantage? How do we create a platform for excelling at different levels in companies to ensure success and endure the growing pains we all have to go through to get to the next step? How do we compete?

As our understanding of the makeup of humans increases, so does our ability to create opportunities to improve our performance … Read the rest

Digital. Paperless. Mobile office. What were once buzzwords 5-10 years ago have now become standards across the globe as independent manufacturers’ representative firms — among others — move toward a cloud-based file system, granting employees access to information from anywhere, creating efficient electronic document workflows and safeguarding important documents forever.

An initial question that comes to mind for agencies is, “Why should we invest in going paperless?” Great question, and when you consider some of the statistics, it’s clear that the question instead should be, “Why aren’t we a paperless agency?” Keep in mind that a typical independent manufacturers’ representative … Read the rest

Assessing technology needs can help businesses stay competitive.

One of the greatest characteristics of computer technology also can be problematic — it’s ever-evolving.

While that’s exciting for techies, it can be a headache for business leaders, whether they are corporate executives or small-business owners.

Businesses periodically need to upgrade or replace creaky computer systems, or risk falling behind their competitors. If they try to muddle through with a cranky jalopy when everyone else moved up to the latest sports car, they may find themselves out of the race for consumer dollars.

One thing companies need to remember is that as … Read the rest

Making a purchase or other payment is not like it used to be.

These days, cash and credit cards aren’t the necessities they once were because alternative-payment options are just a tap or two away on a mobile device through apps such as Google Wallet, Apple Pay, Square, Levelup, Kash and PayPal.

But just how secure are those mobile-payment apps and who makes sure that the companies behind them are doing all they can to keep your personal data safe?

The Clearing House, an advocacy group owned by the world’s largest commercial banks, is raising those questions and others in … Read the rest

It is clear that 2016 will mark a period of change for the 4.5 million business-to-business sales professionals in the United States. Large industry trends such as new technology, reliance on social media, big data, the relationship between sales and marketing, workplace diversity, and the influx of Millennials will all have a major effect on the sales industry and its leaders.

In any business, staying ahead of the curve is critical if you want to beat out your competitors. That means adapting growth strategies and tactics to industry trends so that forecasted growth estimates can be realized.

There may never … Read the rest

Customer service is paramount for success in business. When you find a technology that helps you serve customers better and save money at the same time, that is a great combination. This is especially true when you’re looking to go global.

In this article I want to share two technologies that give businesses the ability to connect with customers in a very powerful, helpful way — all while cutting costs and expanding profitability.

Reaching Customers Globally

You know that global opportunities are enormous. For many companies, expanding globally helps them to temper negative local economic conditions. To connect with customers, … Read the rest

Often — much too often in my view — I talk with CEOs who are still resistant to getting involved with social media. It’s as if they view sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter as little more than pesky annoyances that are irrelevant to what they do.

They fail to recognize just how powerful social media can be as a tool that allows them to promote their brands, communicate with customers and handle damage control when complaints come tumbling in.

What they don’t realize is that abstaining from social media really isn’t an option any longer. Social media carries … Read the rest

In the days before e-mail entered our lives (up till the mid-1990s) the most pervasive interruption for the average manager was a ringing phone.

Even then, most managers had secretaries who screened their calls. Then along comes e-mail. Managers now receive dozens of messages from anyone — including spammers. The problem gets worse as employees who are sending e-mail messages within a company can easily send copies, no matter how trivial, to everyone else — including to other managers. The end result is that with the advent of e-mail it’s easy for a manager to spend an entire day reacting … Read the rest

Technology will never be able to diminish the value of a sales call. At least that’s what is advocated by William Miller in his book, Proactive Selling.

As he takes a look at the technologies (e.g., links, video e-mails, website chats, etc.) that have become staples for the sales profession, Miller notes that “…a face–to-face call with a prospect still has more value than an e-mail, and a 30-minute phone call will have more value than a text message. Sales calls will not go away. However, sales touches can be a positive way to keep the buy/sell process moving and … Read the rest

Not so many years ago, many people probably paid little attention to that pound sign on the computer keyboard. You know, the one that looks like this: #. Then along came Twitter and what we have come to call the “hashtag,” and social media marketing was changed forever.

Yet not everyone takes advantage of hashtags the way they should, and that’s unfortunate because if you are not using hashtags you are missing out on exposure for you and your brand.

When you are on social media sites such as Twitter or Instagram, your goal should be to become part of … Read the rest

Boring the Audience

There are a ton of ways online marketers can bore their audience, from lackluster subject lines to verbiage-laden text-only e-mails, to e-mails that only talk about the company and provide nothing of tangible or even perceived value — the all-important “what’s in it for me” factor. While e-mail can feel one-sided, it is really intended to be a conversation — the start of one. Savvy marketers understand this. For a better success rate, provide an enticing offer and certainly an eye-catching subject line to encourage positive open rates. Design colorful and well-branded graphics to appeal to our … Read the rest

Six Ways to Keep Trade Secrets and Sensitive Company Info Offline

In today’s “sharing” culture, employees are used to posting about the minutiae of their lives on social media — and that can mean bad news for your company. James Pooley shares tips to help ensure that your company’s sensitive data, proprietary information, and trade secrets aren’t inadvertently leaked on a social media feed.

You can be sure that most of your employees are active on social media. For younger ones, in fact, Facebooking, Instagramming, and Tweeting are as natural as breathing. But suppose an employee shared pictures of your … Read the rest

Throughout history people have used tools to get the job done. Better tools give a competitive advantage. Innovative tools leapfrog you ahead of the competition.

Today technology and the tools that come with it provide such an enormous leap that we wouldn’t think of competing in business without them.

Here are seven tools for success, which can give today’s salesperson the advantage in a hotly competitive market.

1. A Useful (and Regularly-Used!) CRM

The Contact Relationship Management tool you use will greatly affect how you connect and ultimately succeed. You want the tool that gives you immediate access to important … Read the rest

As the end of the year approaches business leaders are looking back on the year and putting together strategies for the next year. Some of those strategies include the use of social media to boost business traffic. Here the top three tips sales professionals should know before integrating social media into their practices.

1. Corporate social media accounts should not be done away with, but it is time for executives at companies to change expectations and develop a new, more effective approach to social media. The role of the corporate account should remain what it always has been, a necessity … Read the rest

Most CRM software systems on the market today include a field for “Stages of a Sale.” The number of stages in a sale can vary according to industry and sales methodology. Whether the number is 12 or five, it is critical that the sales team clearly understands the criteria for each stage, as well as what does not qualify for the stage.

Salespeople in firms that use CRM tend to feel pressure to have their pipelines reflect movement from stage to stage. This pressure creates an open door for “stage creep,” where salespeople try to fit their situation into the … Read the rest