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Selling Without Cold Calling Part 4 – Working Your Network
Nov 9th
Selling Without Cold Calling Part 4 – Working Your Network
This is part four in our series of articles dealing with how to make sales without cold calling, and we’ve truly saved the best for last. If you really want to give your sales efforts a big boost, networking is the way to go. After all, what else could you do that has the potential to lead to multiple deals from a single sales presentation? At the same time, there are many ways to network that will not lead to great results. With that in mind, you need to make sure that your networking efforts are well-directed; otherwise, your time would be better spent in other pursuits.
The first thing you’ll want to give consideration to is the kind of group or groups you should be networking with. The rule of thumb here is to go where your customers are. If you sell advertising, for example, that means looking for organizations whose members would have a high likelihood of using the products you sell, for example restaurant associations and Chambers of Commerce. The higher the percentage of members who use your product, the less time you’ll have to spend sifting through those who don’t at networking events.
The second thing you’ll want to be thinking about is what kind of value you can provide to the organization. In other words, what do you bring to the table? If you only show up looking for what you can get, your chances of success are going to decrease significantly. On the other hand, looking for ways to provide value to the organization and its members will almost guarantee your success.
Let’s return to the example of the advertising salesperson that has joined the Chamber of Commerce as a networking opportunity. With the rapidly changing nature of the current economic situation, especially the downturn in the service and entertainment sectors, what kind of value could you provide to the Chamber’s members? While it may be impossible to offer lower prices, could you highlight techniques that would help the members to extend their advertising budgets? Recognizing that many small businesses are hurting the most, what recommendations could you make that would help them to maximize the impact of their advertising campaigns? How about introducing them to ideas that could help improve their retention rates? Bring this kind of information to the meetings, and the members will beat a path to your door!
Providing value also means participating in meetings and events to the extent your circumstances allow. This might mean manning the organization’s booth at the local county fair or serving meals at chapter meetings. I have a close friend in the petroleum industry who belongs to an old west style posse; he rides in all the local parades and takes sick kids out on camping trips, often sacrificing his evenings and weekends to do so. He does it primarily because he loves giving back to his community in this way, and this has led to his being approached on several occasions by other members when they needed a new petroleum supplier. The point is this: focus first on what you give and the benefits will come.
A final item to consider would be volunteering to give a speech. I realize this sends waves of panic through some of you, but I promise this is one of the best ways to get your message across at networking events. The reason is simple: the person at the front of the room is usually looked to as an expert on the subject they are presenting. Whether you truly are an expert or not really doesn’t matter; the fact that you are giving the speech is all the credential you need. If you’ve never done any public speaking, I would recommend joining a Toastmasters group or taking a speaking class at the local community college; the benefits will be well worth the effort you put forth.
When you feel ready to take this challenge on, remember a few guidelines. First, don’t make your speech an extended sales pitch. Use your "elevator pitch" or "30-second commercial" as an introduction, then make the topic something of general interest to the audience. Trust me, if the speech is done well members will be seeking you out for help with their lubricant-related problems. Second, be respectful of the time you’ve been allotted; don’t go overtime! Third, if you really want to be considered an expert, dress the part.
Done correctly, networking can be a great source of leads and, eventually, additional sales. Take the "value first" approach, and you’re sure to be a hit!
I hope you’ve enjoyed these articles and have been able to put at least some of the ideas into practice. If you have had some success in putting these principles to work, I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to e-mail me at the address listed below, and until next time, happy sales to you!
By: Jerry Kennedy
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Jerry Kennedy is the owner of Inside Out Business Solutions, a sales and customer service training provider based in Northern California. With a lengthy background in petroleum sales, Jerry has been on the front lines and knows the challenges sales people face every day. You can learn more about Jerry and Inside Out Business Solutions by visiting www.inside-out-solutions.com and by reading his blog at www.dropdeadsales.com
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Networking Clubs And Their Relevance To Contract Cleaners
Oct 31st
Networking Clubs And Their Relevance To Contract Cleaners
If you are a new business just starting out into the world of contract cleaning then your immediate aim is to gather as many new customers as you can and constantly grow the business. The initial stages are hard and it is difficult to gain those first few customers. How gain you gain a foothold in this highly competitive market? Many of the marketing strategies you might employ have been explained in previous articles. One area that was not explored in these articles was networking.
As a new business you will probably receive a number of invitations to go along to various local networking organisations meetings. At these they will no doubt try and impress upon you the huge benefits to be gained by networking. You will also be told how much business was generated for its members over a period of time. All will seem very impressive and like myself you may very well be impressed enough to join the weekly breakfast or luncheon meetings. This could cost you anything up to 500 a year to be a member plus the cost of the meal or maybe as little as the cost of the meal. Some of the internet networking organisations charge a small monthly fee and then organise monthly local meetings.
When I started out into the field of commercial cleaning I was willing to try anything that might generate business so I joined a number of these organisations. So how successful was this as a means of expanding my business?
I did in fact persevere with some of these breakfast meetings for a whole year, having paid the yearly subscription it was in fact something of a necessity. However it does not take long to realise that the people who attend these meetings are not in fact your likely customers. Many of the individuals who attend networking meetings are just starting out in their business and are operating as sole traders working from home and not in any way, shape or form likely to be your potential customers. Others are well established but still operate as single entities such as business coaches and have no office as such. Others may be proprietors of shops just starting out and these are potential customers.
However you as a contract cleaning company are looking to clean offices and office complexes and these are inhabited by well established companies who do not by and large participate i 1000 n local networking groups. So you are not going to come in contact with the group who are going to provide the more lucrative cleaning contracts.
I can look back on my time with these networking groups as a learning experience and we probably just about recouped our membership fees. Other than that very little long term benefit was derived from the experience. Networking it would seem from my own experience is not a path I would necessarily recommend to the start up cleaning business. Use that time period to utilise other marketing techniques which are more useful to the cleaning business entrepreneur. If you do fancy the idea of networking then you must target a different audience. That is the established businesses, and to do that you will need to join such organisations as the Chamber of Commerce where your networking will not be so overt and often done in a more sociable and relaxed atmosphere.
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David Andrew Smith is the owner of www.wesparkle.co.uk a contract cleaning company which provides cleaning services throughout much of the UK
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How to Build a Successful Cleaning Business
Oct 19th
Recent years have witnessed some of the most tragic financial happenings that have culminated in the global financial crisis as well as the major recession. Among the many industries that have collapsed, however, there are a few that remain. These are often the service sectors that are always in high demand no matter the external conditions. One of these includes the janitorial services. For as long as there are couches that get dirty, carpets that get soiled, and houses in general that go from clean to dirty no matter what homeowners try to do, the janitorial services are a mainstay in the service sector.
Hot item companies
One thing to keep in mind, however, is that the janitorial companies are also one of the hot item companies that many people are considering. If you are one of the people who are considering starting janitorial services for financial stability, there are several important things to keep in mind however. One of these reminders is the continuing importance of advertising and marketing as a way to ensure that you remain on top of the game. Today, new trends in marketing are emerging and if you want to get that all important one step ahead of the pack, one of the best options to consider is online marketing. Here are several ways for you to start.
Pay per click advertising
One of the simplest ways to get into online advertising is through pay per click advertising. For many beginners in the fine art of online marketing, the common problem that is encountered is the inability to start. With all the many options to consider, this is understandable. Pay per click advertising is simpler, however, in that it is a service that can easily be bought from search engine companies. The logic behind this form of advertising is simple.
Information searches
According to online activity research, most internet users use the World Wide Web mainly for information searches through the use of search engines. When you use the services of pay per click advertising, each time an internet user inputs a search that is related to your website, the search engines will place your site on the first page of the search results. With pay per click advertising, each time an internet user clicks on your site in search engine results pages as a result of search engine companies placing your site first on their list, you pay the search engines a given fee.
Web advertising
Another easy option that you can try in order to jump start your janitorial company on the World Wide Web is through the use of web advertising. These also use minimum internet know-how to allow novice internet marketers the best ways to promote their sites. In web advertising, you choose a site that is related to the services which you render, and pay them for space on their web pages for you to post you advertisements. Most online forums that attract thousands of web users each day offer these services and allow you to divert a good number of users to your own site.
Online marketing is one of the best ways to ensure that your janitorial company will have the much needed edge above others. Through these tips you can easily get ahead of the pack.
For More information please visit www.nationalcleaningassociation.com
or CALL 877-881-9523
