Making Revenue Rain in the New Year
Making Revenue Rain in the New Year
Modern business owners and leaders also depend on their rainmakers-those people in an organization who bring in revenue-for their survival. Any organization, regardless of size or profit status, must constantly seek and retain new customers in order to thrive. Reaching your 2005 New Year's revenue resolutions depends directly on your company's rainmaking skills of getting and keeping new customers. Following are three tips for customer acquisition and retention that will create a downpour of revenue.
Treat Everybody like a Potential Customer
If you want to become a rainmaker for your company, the first thing you must remember is that virtually anyone can generate business for you. Everybody can eventually become a customer, or refer a customer, or recommend a customer, or encourage a potential customer.
Making rain requires treating non-customers with the same courtesy and respect as customers. Kokopelli's playful, courteous manner evokes smiles from everyone he comes into contact with. You must view all people as influential, because business often comes from unexpected places.
A laminated paper salesperson had a great relationship with a receptionist for a chewing gum manufacturer. Although she was not involved in buying the paper, the salesperson always treated her respectfully and courteously. Many other salespeople pressured the receptionist, but not this salesperson.
Fifteen years later, the receptionist became the executive vice president of the company and remembered the polite treatment she had received from the salesperson. She awarded the laminated paper company their biggest account and never considered any competitors.
Segment Your Potential Customers
Although rainmakers treat absolutely everybody with the courtesy due a potential customer, they also realize that they should not invest the same amount of time and energy into all prospects equally. If Kokopelli is going to help his people survive by bringing much needed rain, he must spend most of his time in the desert Southwest, where additional rain is needed most.
Where and how you spend your time is critical for marketing and selling. You must identify your ideal customer profile, so that you end up talking with customers who are familiar with your product or service or who have a very high probability of using your product or service. Don't waste your time trying to convince vegetarians to buy steaks.
In addition, big companies are generally better revenue targets than small ones in the same industry. Successful customers are generally better to pursue than struggling customers, who may not have the resources to purchase your product.
Proactively Respond to Your Customers
The third key for rainmakers is to always be proactive and ready to meet their customers' needs. Kokopelli always has his flute at the ready, able to call forth the rain whenever needed. You must have impeccable follow-up, stay on top of the small details, anticipate what customers need, and then provide solutions before ever being asked. Before they even have a chance to think about what another vendor could provide-you must proactively respond to your customer's needs quickly, dependably, and consistently.
I learned the importance of proactive and responsive service selling to cardiovascular surgeons. I could never tell a CV surgeon, "I might be able to get that oxygenator to you by Monday." When a patient was on the table for a quadruple bypass, the only acceptable response was, "We'll have it there if I have to borrow it from another hospital and drive it there myself." The surgeon knew his or her patient's life could depend on my response, and if any other vendor could deliver when I couldn't, I was done-forever! If you approach customer responsiveness with that sense of urgency, you'll build your reputation, lose far fewer customers, and gain a lot of new business.
Being proactive and responsive also requires having a follow-up system in place to find, reach, organize, and track customers. Popular contact management software can assist you in knowing who your customers are, what their preferences are, how to reach them easily, and when the next contact should take place.
Rainmaking was essential to the survival and well-being of Native American cultures, just like customer acquisition and retention is for your business. Although Kokopelli may not bring you any additional sales revenue in 2005, applying these three rainmaking tips will.
Making Revenue Rain in the New Year - To learn more about this author, visit George Ludwig's Website.
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Many Native American cultures, especially those in the desert conditions of the American Southwest, depended on rainmakers' magical powers to bring rain for nourishing crops and feeding the people. The Hopi believed that the mischievous Kokopelli character could summon water whenever he played his flute. Without the rain, the people would eventually starve or have to move somewhere else.
Modern business owners and leaders also depend on their rainmakers-those people in an organization who bring in revenue-for their survival. Any organization, regardless of size or profit status, must constantly seek and retain new customers in order to thrive. Reaching your 2005 New Year's revenue resolutions depends directly on your company's rainmaking skills of getting and keeping new customers. Following are three tips for customer acquisition and retention that will create a downpour of revenue.
Treat Everybody like a Potential Customer
If you want to become a rainmaker for your company, the first thing you must remember is that virtually anyone can generate business for you. Everybody can eventually become a customer, or refer a customer, or recommend a customer, or encourage a potential customer.
Making rain requires treating non-customers with the same courtesy and respect as customers. Kokopelli's playful, courteous manner evokes smiles from everyone he comes into contact with. You must view all people as influential, because business often comes from unexpected places.
A laminated paper salesperson had a great relationship with a receptionist for a chewing gum manufacturer. Although she was not involved in buying the paper, the salesperson always treated her respectfully and courteously. Many other salespeople pressured the receptionist, but not this salesperson.
Fifteen years later, the receptionist became the executive vice president of the company and remembered the polite treatment she had received from the salesperson. She awarded the laminated paper company their biggest account and never considered any competitors.
Segment Your Potential Customers
Although rainmakers treat absolutely everybody with the courtesy due a potential customer, they also realize that they should not invest the same amount of time and energy into all prospects equally. If Kokopelli is going to help his people survive by bringing much needed rain, he must spend most of his time in the desert Southwest, where additional rain is needed most.
Where and how you spend your time is critical for marketing and selling. You must identify your ideal customer profile, so that you end up talking with customers who are familiar with your product or service or who have a very high probability of using your product or service. Don't waste your time trying to convince vegetarians to buy steaks.
In addition, big companies are generally better revenue targets than small ones in the same industry. Successful customers are generally better to pursue than struggling customers, who may not have the resources to purchase your product.
Proactively Respond to Your Customers
The third key for rainmakers is to always be proactive and ready to meet their customers' needs. Kokopelli always has his flute at the ready, able to call forth the rain whenever needed. You must have impeccable follow-up, stay on top of the small details, anticipate what customers need, and then provide solutions before ever being asked. Before they even have a chance to think about what another vendor could provide-you must proactively respond to your customer's needs quickly, dependably, and consistently.
I learned the importance of proactive and responsive service selling to cardiovascular surgeons. I could never tell a CV surgeon, "I might be able to get that oxygenator to you by Monday." When a patient was on the table for a quadruple bypass, the only acceptable response was, "We'll have it there if I have to borrow it from another hospital and drive it there myself." The surgeon knew his or her patient's life could depend on my response, and if any other vendor could deliver when I couldn't, I was done-forever! If you approach customer responsiveness with that sense of urgency, you'll build your reputation, lose far fewer customers, and gain a lot of new business.
Being proactive and responsive also requires having a follow-up system in place to find, reach, organize, and track customers. Popular contact management software can assist you in knowing who your customers are, what their preferences are, how to reach them easily, and when the next contact should take place.
Rainmaking was essential to the survival and well-being of Native American cultures, just like customer acquisition and retention is for your business. Although Kokopelli may not bring you any additional sales revenue in 2005, applying these three rainmaking tips will.
Making Revenue Rain in the New Year - To learn more about this author, visit George Ludwig's Website.
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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