Are You A "Contagious" Salesperson?

If you were to ask a hundred different salespeople who sell complex solutions to describe their selling approach, one of the most frequent responses would be “consultative.” Simply put, this sales approach is based upon establishing oneself as a business expert who sets out to understand and solve the customer’s business problems. Like a consultant, the salesperson studies the customer’s environment and applies industry knowledge to create a solution that theoretically differentiates the salesperson from the competition.

Hunting for Business Ideas? Consider Looking in These 8 Hot Industries

There may be a lot of economic uncertainty, but that doesn't mean it's a bad time to launch a business. For a few business ideas, take a spin through this list of eight online industries expected to see healthy U.S. revenue growth in 2013 that are hot for startups, according to industry research firm IBISWorld.

Social network game development -- People are spending more time on social networks like Facebook and they are also spending an ever increasing number of hours online, thanks to the rapid adoption of mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. Consumers are spending more time playing games that are embedded into their social network: The industry has grown by an astonishing 184 percent per year on average for the past five years, IBIS reports. By the end of 2013, U.S. sales in the industry are expected to grow another 32 percent and hit $6 billion. 

10 Unavoidable Factors for Sales Success in 2013

There’s no way around it- the face of business is rapidly changing. With technology evolving at an impressive rate and the level of competition steadily rising, there are some sales techniques that have gone from being simply recommended to being essential techniques for keeping up with competitors.

Sales techniques should be more comprehensive than ever, and your business need to have a constant presence in the public sphere in order maintain success. Here are 10 unavoidable factors for seeing sales succeed in 2013.

1. Mobile POS

A necessity for any business on-the-go; mobile POS systems allow you to make credit card sales using your mobile device or smartphone. This is critical to reaching your customers whenever, wherever. Don’t give them the opportunity to look elsewhere, take their payment right then and there.  

Solving the Analytical Problem of Marketing Attribution

Marketing attribution is a topic that remains a thorn in the side of most organizations. Are we still no better off than John Wanamaker back in the 1800's when he purportedly said those famous words: "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half"? The trouble is that the goal posts keep moving, and just when you think you might be able to get your arms around the subject, the landscape changes.

12 Most Accumulative Activities to Boost Your Business in Less than 10 Minutes

I talked with a woman who lived in Haight-Asbury during the 60’s. What she had to tell me was shocking to my romantic notions about the era. She said the peace and love movement did not change anything.

Do you think this is true? I know that I have felt the effect of changes from that tumultuous time. I have more opportunities than my mother or my grandmother, even in this recession. The way I choose to interpret her advice is to focus on the actions under my control that will lead to bigger changes down the line. This applies not only to social change, but how I run my business.

The following are twelve things you can do in less than 10 minutes to build your online presence. Keep a log of your activity and see what happens after doing at least one of these actions a day for one month.

Workplace Culture Is More Important Than Anything Else

This is the third of a four-part series called "Big Ideas Small Business." This new editorial series spotlights the best practices for small business leaders working to grow their companies. "Big Ideas, Small Business" is sponsored by The UPS Store.

Companies sink or swim based on their internal culture. One bad hire can have a huge effect on morale, productivity, and ultimately, the bottom line.

Brad Feld, co-founder of startup accelerator TechStars and managing director at VC firm The Foundry Group, says that too many startups focus on hiring for competency over cultural fit. "Many people default into choosing people who have high competence but a low cultural fit," he writes. "This is a deadly mistake in a startup, as this is exactly the wrong person to hire."

Visual Communication Solutions for 2013

For every business, the end of the year is a time to evaluate the past year’s strategies, assess prospects for the coming year and build a strategy for a more successful 2013.

In particular, your business may need to update its marketing strategy to include new and different forms of visual communication.

Remember, your competitors are taking advantage of the latest technologies and techniques to bring in more sales leads; you need to evolve to stay competitive. Consider the changes you’ll need to make to stay relevant. 

12 Retail Industry Trends For 2013

When I look at retail sales trends for 2013, I realize many retailers will want to address these trends using technology.

I would suggest here, as I do in my in-person appearances and trainings, that the technology is not the answer in itself for retailers.

Success must come from being more human, selling the merchandise in a way that provides an exceptional experience in your store and acknowledging that no retailer has a lock on a product, customer or category.

Here are the top 12 retail trends you need to know… 

Top Reasons Salespeople Lose Business

Harvard Business Review is arguably the most prestigious publication for business leaders and management thinkers. Here’s one of my recent Harvard Business Review articles titled “Top Reasons Salespeople Lose Busines.”

There's a natural tendency to assume that the losing salespeople lacked sales prowess that the winner possessed or their product was far inferior in some way. However, in the overwhelming majority of interviews the evaluators ranked all of the competing salespeople and the feature sets of their products as being roughly equal. This suggests that there are other factors that separate the winner from the losers with some being completely out of the salesperson's control. Below, you will find these key factors along with a corresponding win-loss interview quote. 

CES 2013: New Gadgets That Solve Business Problems

LAS VEGAS – Ushering in an array of technology that you never knew you needed but can't live without, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is about more than the newest smartphones and biggest, skinniest televisions. The giant tech show also introduces innovative new tools for the workplace, changing the way companies get things done.

We've combed the exhibit floors looking for the tech that would appeal most to business users. Here are four tools we think may rock your business' world this year: 

The Five Habits Affecting Your Lead Generation Campaign

It is so easy to conduct a lead generation campaign. What is so hard is actually generating B2B leads. And if you look back at the factors affecting sales leads productivity, you might be surprised to discover that most of these reasons could be traced back at you. Indeed, when it comes to getting more business coming in, most of the reasons that affects performance is all up to you. Your habits, your attitudes, as well as outlook over your business can have a negative impact on your campaign. Creating problems in your campaign is the last thing you would want to happen. Now, what are the things that can cause you to mess up?

6 Steps to Productive Brainstorming

Think big and follow these tips to make the most of your next brainstorming session.

Running a productive brainstorming session is an art form--it can also be the most productive fun that you'll ever have. However, managers often find that corralling and organizing ideas at a fast pace without a game plan can be like herding cats. Here are a few concepts that will set you up for success when leading a productive brainstorm session.

1. Always Go Offsite

How to Pick Up Your Dream Client

This morning, Amazon.com recommended that I buy a book by a British pick up artist. Now I have a rather eclectic taste in books, but I’m not really sure why Amazon.com thought I would enjoy this particular book.

Since it’s the holiday season, I thought we might have a little fun and see what a riff on picking up your dream client might look like.

How To Instantly Attract Your Dream Client

8 Collateral Marketing Items Every Small Business Needs

What's Your Story?

To remain competitive, you need to provide information about your company to employees, investors, existing and potential clients, media, and the general public on an ongoing basis. Your company's success depends on how well you communicate what you have to offer.

This, in turn, may depend on how well you prepare collateral items (brochures, newsletters, fact sheets, press releases, and other electronic and printed promotional materials), ranging from company and product fact sheets to biographies of key team members.

Every business should always have the following eight items on hand, ready to distribute.

How More Calls and Conversations Will Provide You with Strategic Business Intelligence

It’s not rocket science – response rates and budget optimization are the crux of a successful advertising strategy.  But, it is surprising the number of businesses we talk to that don’t have a solid plan in place to track leads and response rates so they can accurately tie results back to a specific campaign and budget, and therefore justify the money they spend.

Today, advertising is required to be efficient and meet many expectations; generate leads, optimize budgets and stay one step ahead of the competition.  It also has to be clever, inspiring and unique.  Many of these challenges are addressed by creative executives, designers and media buyers and negotiators.  Other challenges, like ensuring lead generation and a good ROI are more difficult to achieve, but not insurmountable.

7 Rules for Perfecting Best Practices in B2B Business Development

Musicians know it takes practice to perform at their peak. The authors of Practice Perfect stress that practice makes permanent – so you had better get it right. So, based on what we’ve been learning with our clients, here are 7 rules for perfecting best practices in B2B Business Development:

1/ Find Target Accounts Where Your Offering Will Matter Most
Firms vary in the types of pressures that they’re under. Not every firm equally faces pressures that your offering alleviates. Focus on practices that most efficiently identify firms where you’ve the greatest chance of creating value and having an impact. Focus matters.

If Price Really Matters

Sales people have always had a laundry list of excuses that keep them from being able to sell today. Yet, is there any excuse more infamous than the price one. "If we just lowered our price, I could sell a ton of this stuff." Oh really? People buy primarily-based on price? Well, if that's true consider this.

If price really matters…

• Everyone would buy generic drugs

• No one would have cable or satellite television

7 Steps to Regaining Your Focus

Daphne Vandergrift Elizalde had been running her Newport Beach, Calif., art consulting business for 12 years when she decided to start a second company. For this lifelong multitasker, running two businesses didn't seem too daunting

But after she founded her customized chocolates business in 2010, juggling multiple tasks seemed more distracting than productive. Taking a phone call while also working on a packaging design, for example, meant she either focused too little on the conversation or had to go back and double check her work.

Elizalde finally decided to quit multitasking. When she began thinking of other unfinished tasks, she no longer tried to juggle multiple things, but instead jotted down whatever came to mind and returned to it later. “Cutting out that multitasking is very hard in the beginning,” she says, “but it makes a world of difference.”

7 Small Business SEO Tips

     
Every year SEO gets more complicated as Google rolls out updates and changes the rules. This is especially frustrating for small business owners who don't have the time or resources to stay current in, what they believe to be, an esoteric and confusing industry.

Here are seven small business SEO tips to help earn more business through traditional organic search rankings.

1. Onsite SEO is Necessary But Not Sufficient

5 Mentors Every Entrepreneur Should Have

Entrepreneur. It's a tough word -- both to spell and to call yourself. Being an entrepreneur brings with it a love of leaping head first into the unknown. Life-long entrepreneurs love new challenges, and live their lives in a constant growth phase. One of the common resources an entrepreneur turns to is a mentor. Asking for advice and bouncing ideas off of others is essential to the success of an entrepreneur's journey.

I've been fortunate to have a variety of mentors over the years, and I can't imagine standing where I am if it wasn't for them. Despite all the challenges of running a business, the biggest constant in my life is those mentors, and their advice.