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Intelligent Sales and Marketing

Guest post by: Hussain Zaidi

Article Overview: Intelligent sales and marketing is about not treating your customer like they are dumb! Apply intelligence and goodwill to create the momentum that will take you to the next level

Intelligent Sales and Marketing

Intelligent sales and marketing is about not treating your customer like they are dumb!

In life, most success can be accomplished by usingcommon senseandrespecting othersand this is no different in sales and marketing. Instead of treating your customers like children who know nothing and need to be tricked into doing what you want, you should treat them like the adults they are. Instead of communicating in a thoughtless andcookie-cutterfashion to all of your customers and prospects, learn instead to deliver a more effective message by first seeking tounderstandthem.

There is a lot that can be said about intelligent sales and marketing, more than I can talk about in just one e-zine, in fact. Being intelligent in your work extends to everything you do, every professionalhabitand every area ofexpertiseyou are involved in. You should always seek to improve on your business, building on what works while you continue to learn. That is the only way to ensure longterm success. In the meantime, here are some fundamentals on how to beintelligent:

(1) Think

This is easier said than done for most sales and marketing professionals, unfortunately. What you should think about most are theconsequencesof everything you say and do. What are people going to think about your message? How can you better understand and serve your customers? Can you put yourself in your customer's shoes and think through exactly what they will experience in their interactions with you? From your original message to selling them to closing the deal to ongoing business, think about each step in the process and how you can make it easy and natural for them

(2) Plant Seeds

As much as we want to make things happennow, this will rarely be the case in the world of sales and marketing. You need to acquire the mindset of afarmerwho practices the art of cultivating ongoing seasonal harvests by diligently following the process ofsowing,nurturingandreaping. You should not expect everyone you speak with to buy from you immediately, nor should every marketing communication end with an offer to try or buy. Focus, instead, oninteracting,educatingand buildingrelationships

(3) Plan, Execute

This step extends the concepts ofthinkingandplanting seedsby encouraging you to plan out all of your sales and marketing concepts to the very end. What this means is that you should not just take out an ad in a local paper or send out a random flyer but rather ask, “then what?” What happens when someone responds? What kind of questions will they have? How can you create a compelling offer? Are there other ways for your to combine messages to create a more integrated sales and marketing approach? Plan your work then work your plan

(4) Follow Up

As elementary as it seems, not following up is the #1 reason for losing customers in the sales and marketing process. This is something that customers complain about as well, believe it or not. After an invigorating conversation or after having received a response or inquiry indicating customer interest, we often let that customer languish for too long and sometimes forever! The most successful sellers and marketers are fanatical aboutongoingfollow up witheveryonefrom interested prospects to longtime customers. Grow your business intelligently by leaving no stone unturned!

(5) Learn and Grow

Sales and marketing is not easy and while we all want to reap the rewards of a successful and growing business, oftentimes we are not willing to do the work to make the changes we need to in order to succeed. Simply ask yourself, “Am I where I want to be in my business right now?” If the answer is “no” then the solution can only be that you need toknowmore anddomore in order to get to where you want to. Turn each customer interaction into an opportunity to learn and grow and educate yourself through ongoing business and self-development training and learning from others more successful

(6) Be Nice

Google's famous corporate slogan is “Don't Be Evil” and I recently heard of a Japanese saying to the effect of, “if you do not feel like smiling today then do not open your shop”! Think about it and you will realize that the most elemental part of doing business with people is torespectthem and being nice to them. Few things are worse than going into a shop or calling and talking to a salesperson who makes you feel stupid and does not attend to you properly. The most intelligent thing you can do issmileto customers and try andservethem with true sincerity

Apply intelligence and goodwill to create the momentum that will take you to the next level!

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Article Tags: business, customers, sales and marketing



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