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  1. C

    Does having a polarizing personality/character affect success in a sales job?

    MARKETING 
    I used to be like you Heavy Industry I didn't like the fact that you had to suck it up sometimes. In fact, I hated it. Everyone who did that, in my view, was weak. They were also fake. I was 16 then. But that is the way the world works my friend. Everyone is playing a game. Imagine if everyone...
  2. C

    Does having a polarizing personality/character affect success in a sales job?

    MARKETING 
    I think great salespeople are like good politicians - they are a) likable b) they take the middle ground on issues. And here is another aspect of salespeople—they will adapt their views to mimic those of the prospect. If the prospect says they love the Red Sox, the salesperson will say they...
  3. C

    Manage your weaknesses, but amplify your strengths.

    IDEA MINDSET 
    There was a whole book written about this very (important) topic Managing Oneself by Peter Drucker He spend a long long time studying organisations and one of the common mistakes he spotted was people in business trying to fix their weaknesses when they should have been focusing on their strengths
  4. C

    Why Most Branding Advice Is Wrong — and What Actually Works

    NEWS 
    You've got the first part spot-on. Your business communications should all have a robust reason behind them. Just like an advertising executive from Coca-Cola said a few years ago - every ad should indirectly or directly answer the question "why should I buy this? As for "direct response," this...
  5. C

    A genuine question regarding lead generation, is word of mouth KING?

    QUESTION 
    How are your sales escapades going FJ?
  6. C

    A genuine question regarding lead generation, is word of mouth KING?

    QUESTION 
    Well said Dan. WOM is everything a business should not have as a system. It's too patchy, too inconsistent, and too unpredictable. Another thing I've noticed in the small business world is you might have a small business owner interviewed by the local rag. The journalist will ask them where...
  7. C

    A genuine question regarding lead generation, is word of mouth KING?

    QUESTION 
    The truth about word-of-mouth marketing is that it is slow and unreliable for the average small business, (any which requires a medium volume of work). Of course, word-of-mouth is great for that small business person working in a niche - who has been in business for 20 years. If you want to...
  8. C

    Missing that marketing edge...

    INTRO 
    You're going to have to bite the bullet on this sooner rather than later. Have this vital discussion regarding sales now. I've seen firms do just before they disbanded for good. By then, it's usually too late. A business is like a car. For a B2B company that does not have a sales function, it's...
  9. C

    Missing that marketing edge...

    INTRO 
    OP, you must do two things for your business to succeed. You will have to do networking. You will have to do sales. Unfortunately, for a business such as yours, a website (no matter how well-designed or how well the content is aligned) will only get you so far. Networking Ideally, you...
  10. C

    Sending a second "Confirm your subscription" email

    MARKETING 
    You send a second reminder, but don't frame it as a "reminder"... You have to ramp up the excitement of your product so much that the FOMO effect kicks in. (Basically, pick any feature that has been improved / will be improved and start talking about it like it the best thing since sliced...
  11. C

    Cold calling 5 businesses / day till I get my next client

    EXECUTION 
    So if the OP gets through to VM (which a substantial number of businesses have on their phone systems) What should he do?
  12. C

    Cold calling 5 businesses / day till I get my next client

    EXECUTION 
    Please don't do this. If you want good results with VM. You never ever tell them directly why you're calling. You need to have an element of curiosity. Without this, they make an assumption "oh they're just trying to sell something" and they won't return your call. And you must get the TONE...
  13. C

    Cold calling 5 businesses / day till I get my next client

    EXECUTION 
    That's it. Once rapport is established, all those guarded answers seem to disappear. And believe me, you don't want to be doing a sales call with one guarded answer after another. It can be like wading through a swamp. Once rapport has been built up, it's like walking across the manicured...
  14. C

    Cold calling 5 businesses / day till I get my next client

    EXECUTION 
    "Do you need a website?" / "Are you interested?" with "How are you currently getting leads?" Some of these might not be effective, I'm afraid. Some business people don't have a website and wear it as a badge of honor "I get all my business from referrals." For this cohort of customers, you...
  15. C

    My Key Sales and Marketing Insights from 2024

    MARKETING EXECUTION 
    Active Campaign for automated follow-up.
  16. C

    My Key Sales and Marketing Insights from 2024

    MARKETING EXECUTION 
    I always like to reflect on the year gone by. Here are some of what I learned from the year just gone: 1) The status quo is the biggest sales killer imaginable. During the year, I was selling a solution to B2B problem where B2B owners readily admitted to me that X was a big problem for them...
  17. C

    investing in the stock market does not seem right

    INVESTING 
    But anyone with a pension fund is already indirectly investing in the stockmarket?
  18. C

    What is the best sales advice you've learned and can impart?

    GOLD! HOT! MARKETING 
    This is where value propositions come into play... "Just wondering whether you received my last email?" "Just following up on the last email, I sent you. Do you have time for a quick chat on?" Early on in the sales process these emails could be construed as spammy. The hold or show no value...
  19. C

    How to poach a manager from an established company?

    IDEA MINDSET SOURCING 
    OP, there are "executive search" executives (read head hunters), some that get paid a small fortune, to persuade executives to jump ship to another organisation. These are not your normal recruitment people - it's actually a highly-skilled job. AFAIK, they get them on the phone, find out their...
  20. C

    Buy It for Life - Your Favorite Durable, High-Quality Products That Are Made to Last

    OFF-TOPIC 
    You got it one! When I worked in IT support people would go into a store. They would see an Acer (Taiwan) or HP (US) laptop with a shiny lid, a glossy screen, flashing LED lights on the side. These systems looked great. In the corner, there would be a very understated Toshiba (Japan) laptop...

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