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Neil Mahoney Articles

Written by: Neil Mahoney

SELL SMARTER; NOT HARDER: Part 3 - Click To Read Article
TELLING ISN'T SELLING: Listening is far more important than talking and schmoozing when you want to earn the respect and trust of your prospects -- especially in the first meeting and the early stages of the business relationship. Even if you're responding to a prospect's inquiry, it's important to remember that prospects must first respect and trust you and your company before they'll be comfortable and confident in buying from you.

SELL SMARTER; NOT HARDER: Part 2 - Click To Read Article
Second installation of three-part article on SALES: THE LEAST TIME-EFFECTIVE PROCESS IN ALL OF BUSINESS. The first part discussed "How to better mange yourself." This part discusses "Attributes of good salespeople." The third part will discuss "Focusing your time and efforts where it really counts."

SELL SMARTER; NOT HARDER: Part 1 - Click To Read Article
SALES: THE LEAST TIME-EFFECTIVE PROCESS IN ALL OF BUSINESS: Making the Sales process more time-effective is not easy because Salespeople have so many unavoidable duties they must perform: 1. Call Reports 2. Expense Reports 3. Drive/Travel Time 4. Waiting in the customer's or prospect's office 5. Questions and Answers 6. Handling Complaints 7. Reassuring customers or prospects 8. Maintaining relationships The list goes on.

SELL SMARTER; NOT HARDER - Click To Read Article
Winning BIG in Sales & Marketing: Don't Oversimplify/Overestimate Branding Efforts: Branding is hard and costly -- BUT IT HAS VALUE

The 11 Most-Deadly Sins in Sales & Marketing -- and How to Avoid Them - Click To Read Article
Why are there so few well-trained Marketing Professionals? Three Reasons. Three myths: Myth #1: Multi-tasking increases efficiency. Truth: Research shows it doesn't. Myth #2: Management is a specialty that cuts across all lines. Truth: Good Managers have to be knowledgeable and skilled in the areas they manage. Myth #3: Long-term planning is not necessary. Truth: To be successful, a company must have long-term strategies & plans that are supported, understood and executed by the entire organization

How the 1-Minute Manager Mentality Crippled Marketing - Click To Read Article
True Marketing is now a lost art where few of the true pros remain. Professional Marketers bit the dust for 3 big reasons: 1. The myth that multi-tasking increases efficiency 2. The myth that management is a specialty that can cut across all lines 3. Short-term management -- short-term thinking

3 basic steps to finding & developing top prospects - Click To Read Article
1. Prospect Generation: How to develop more good prospects 2. Prospect Qualification: How to identify more REAL prospects 3. Prospect Development: How to cultivate prospects so they'll choose to buy from you

1-Minute Manager Mentality: The Root of most evil - Click To Read Article
1. Multi-tasking degrades performance 2. Most corporate carburetors are set too lean 3. MBO: works well in theory, but not always in fact

Remedy #2 for product launches & start ups -- "Plan." - Click To Read Article
A strong, well-thought-out plan is essential for three reasons: 1. It's necessary to convince management/investors they should buy into the idea 2. It helps collaborators know what's needed to accomplish the mission 3. It forces you to think through all the potential pitfalls that may arise

Deadly Sin#7B: One-size-fits-all Sales Pitches - Click To Read Article
There are two basic weaknesses to one-size-fits-all sales pitches: 1. Failure to appeal to different types of prospects 2. Failure to discriminate among different types of prospects with the same general interests, but who have different "social styles"

7-Sigma Selling - Click To Read Article
Selling a product or service is more than making presentations to prospects. It's making presentations to the RIGHT prospects at the right time. It's also about treating prospects right ON time. "Prompt response to needs and requests" is ranked by prospects only 2nd to pricing.

Martial Arts Marketing - Click To Read Article
Two Basic steps to knowing your key markets & prospects so well, your message matches their needs and helps assure the sale: 1.Identify those few, key major segments that account for most all market sales. 2.Determine that unique position that gives you dominance.

The 9 Most-Deadly Sins in Sales & Marketing - Click To Read Article
If business can be described as "war without guns" then Sales & Marketing are the military arm * Salespeople are the ground forces: Infantry, Cavalry, Armored * Marketing is Intelligence (Research & Market Data), Strategy, Planning, Artillery & Air (ads & promotion) Because most companies don't think of Business Development in these terms, they continually repeat the 9 Most-Deadly Sins listed below:

The 9 Most-Deadly Sins in Sales & Marketing -- and how to avoid them - Click To Read Article
The first deadly sin: Failure to distinguish differences in: * Value & importance of different markets & market segments * Wants & needs of different markets & market segments

Failure of HQ & Sales to Communicate Effectively - Click To Read Article
Sin #4 of the "9 Most-Deadly Sins in Sales & Marketing" is Failure of HQ & Sales to Communicate Effectively * HQ/Marcomm sees forests, not trees * Sales sees trees, not forests Perspective is everything in business and in everything we do. It's essential that Sales and Management agree on what's best for their customers -- and their company. They must start by agreeing on the best "Positioning Statement" they can make for their company. All messages the company conveys -- Mission Statements, Elevator Pitches, Ads, Websites, etc -- should all have their origins in the Positioning Statement. All parties must also agree that the Positioning Statement is the best message the company can make.

10 remedies for the 1,000 pitfalls in Start ups & New Product Launches - Click To Read Article
Even well-known, well-established firms have major problems launching new products. For start ups the risks are even greater. Thorough market research, planning & positioning are essential. These 10 remedies will help increase success.

Deadly Sin #5: Sales: The least time-effective process in all of business - Click To Read Article
Sales is the least-effective process in all of business, but there's nothing you can do about it. Sales people are supposed to sell -- persuade prospects to buy your products by highlighting your product's strengths vs competition, and demonstrate your products. But they only get to do that for about ten percent of the time. For the other 90% they're doing other things -- at least ten of them.

Positioning: The core of corporate communications - Click To Read Article
Positioning is a lost art in Business Development today. It reached its zenith in the 1980s -- before "1-Minute Management" replaced in-depth analysis and planning. A truly good Positioning Statement will be 12 words or less, and in one forceful sentence state the proven strengths that give you dominance in the markets you want to sell in. Once you have it perfected you can easily develop highly effective Mission Statements, Elevator Pitches, Ad Campaigns, Publicity, Sales Materials and Websites.

Deadly Sin #7: Sales Materials & Support Activities aren't dovetailed to optimize sales - Click To Read Article
Prospect Development must be a total team effort: Management and salespeople see things differently. But the prospect has an even different perspective: The prospect's interest in buying is rarely as urgent and intense as the supplier's is to make the sale.

Salespeople misperceive their proper roles by being misled by leads - Click To Read Article
By being the "Star of the Show' you are in peril of overplaying your part. By being the Stage Manager you can control the development of the plot.

Overestimating/Oversimplifying Branding Efforts - Click To Read Article
1.A strong brand can greatly increase revenues & profitability 2. Customer/Dealer relationships are often stronger than strong brands 3. Building a brand takes years of selling & promotional effort & expense

Prospect Development: The Giant Donut Hole in Sales & Marketing - Click To Read Article
Ineffective Inquiry Qualification & Development * The most-ignored activity in Sales & Marketing * The most-effective way to maximize your MarComm investment * The surest way to increase sales & profits

Overemphasis on inquiries devalues B2B ad results - Click To Read Article
1. Inquiries are only the tip of the iceberg 2. Measuring only inquiries cause their value to degrade 3. Lower quality discourages Sales follow up

Remedy #1 for product launches/start ups: "Get Real" - Click To Read Article
Make sure there is a real & recognized need for your product. This requires thorough, unbiased market research that involves 8 basic steps, ranging from: A) "How important is your offering to prospects?" to H) "How can you best accumulate and interpret opinions?

Remedy #1 for product launches/start ups: Part 2 - Click To Read Article
Beware of these 3 serious errors: 1. Incorrectly identifying your prospects' real & recognized needs 2. Failure to properly & precisely position your product 3. Overestimating/Underestimating the size of the market -- both in units & dollars





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