Recent Articles From EvanCarmichael.com http://www.evancarmichael.com/ http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/3554/Is-Your-Company-Committed-to-Their-Long-Standing-Traditions.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/3554/Is-Your-Company-Committed-to-Their-Long-Standing-Traditions.html Are you a second or even third generation business owner? The generations before you made the sacrifices and did whatever was necessary to build the fundamentals of the business you are running today. Have the traditions, ideals, and values your business was built on survived the passing of the baton? Many companies have discarded these fundamentals as a cost cutting measure or because they seem antiquated. These traditions were the basis for the growth and survival of the “family business” yet they wind up on the committee “cutting room floor”. Nothing is more apparent than changes made to the core values of employee and customer satisfaction. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/3554/Categorizing-Your-Prospects.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/3554/Categorizing-Your-Prospects.html Coming off of a slowdown in business you need to have an accurate assessment of the “condition” of your customers. For the sake of simplicity and giving your salesforce a meaningful tool I have identified 4 specific customer types that really isn’t brain surgery but common sense. It is more important than ever to qualify your customers so you are better equipped to learn how to sell them and when to sell them, making an effective counseling interview essential. The four I have identified are: Loyal Customers - Buying Loyal Customers - Not Buying Previous Customers - Lost to the Competition Never Bought - Possible Intenders http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/3554/Waiting-To-Wait--Emerging-From-2009.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/3554/Waiting-To-Wait--Emerging-From-2009.html For those of you running or owning a small business and you survived last year, I’ve got news for you. Surviving 2009 and 2008 for that matter was a monumental task and I applaud those of you that are still viable. But if you were waiting for the economy to normalize so you can get back to doing business the way you had in the past, that just won’t work again. That being the case, your business could possibly be more vulnerable in a good economy. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/3554/Cant-Touch-dis.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/3554/Cant-Touch-dis.html Every so often I run into a challenge so daunting that there is no place to hide. I was recently hired to develop a fairly simplistic pilot program that could easily be exportable to other areas of the country. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/3554/Talkin-Trash.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/3554/Talkin-Trash.html Anyone who has read any of my “vignettes knows how critical I have become of everyday “customer service”. Here’s a different spin on the mundane. Every so often you have an experience so memorable that you can’t help but tell everyone about it; something that will stick with you your entire life, or at least the near term. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/3554/Ready-to-Grow-Again.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/3554/Ready-to-Grow-Again.html As I have predicted in a number of my previous articles, prosperity is right around the corner, and for some of you it may already be here. I have been preaching that business needed to prepare themselves for the rebound and if you haven’t it isn’t too late. The bad news came with a big sucking sound. Like the aftermath of a devastating tornado many of you have poked your head out from the rubble only to find yourself alive and somewhat well. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/3554/Trade-Shows-Versus-Afraid-Shows.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/3554/Trade-Shows-Versus-Afraid-Shows.html What is your level of participation in your industry’s trade shows? Either you work for a company who writes the check and controls the exhibit, do you send a few representatives of your sales staff to “work the floor”, or do you send your sales staff to “attend” the show, learn and observe? Regardless, your team members will require a specific skill set in order to perform effectively at the show. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/3554/Gather-Your-Own-Information.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/3554/Gather-Your-Own-Information.html We have become a society terrorized by information overload. There are no longer any mysteries in our surroundings. We are kept aware of everything at the speed of 24 hour news, internet sites, breaking news, severe weather, along with the minutiae of the subtle changes that occur thousands of times per day. Everything in real time. It’s George Orwell's 1984 on steroids. “Big Brother “ is not only watching but he’s reporting. What we have today pales in comparison to the fear instilled in us by that classic novel. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/3554/The-Best-of-TimesThe-Worst-of-Times-Part-2.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/3554/The-Best-of-TimesThe-Worst-of-Times-Part-2.html Do you get the impression that everyone is missing the point to our current economic climate (I prefer “climate” to “crisis”). All common sense solutions first identify the “root cause” of the problem. There are plenty of examples in our daily lives. Want to avoid a hangover?...DON’T drink, care to avoid lung cancer?...DON’T smoke, indigestion?...avoid spicy foods. When you go to the doctor seeking help with your cholesterol or blood pressure the doctor will prescribe medicine and a regimen of diet and exercise that will work towards solving the root cause of the problem. Why haven’t we taken the same approach to solving the root cause of our current “climate”? http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/3554/The-Best-of-TimesThe-Worst-of-Times.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/3554/The-Best-of-TimesThe-Worst-of-Times.html Today is March 12, 2009. I am identifying this day so you can get a perspective of where we are in the world. I don’t know about you but I am getting a little tired of what the media is exposing us to. Every statement seems to start with “during these tough times”, even commercials are getting on board with the negative jargon. Every statistic is peppered with “the worst since”, “highest since”, or “lowest since”. I question the mechanism for such quotes and who really cares? Even the weather has become “severe” weather with it’s corresponding lowest or highest recorded stats. I may regret saying this but I’m ready to hear more about Iraq, that has been pushed to the back page.