sales

Seal the Deal: The 6 Laws of Successful Sales

by Paul Joseph January 31, 2012 Featured

Each and every business focuses on its sales numbers.  Whether a company offers products or services, their ultimate success depends on how many people they can convince to invest in them.  While many believe that the executives in their ivory towers determine the daily success of a company, the people truly steering the ship are the salespeople.  These are the individuals who know best what customers want, what customers are concerned about, and what it takes to get prospects to become customers. That’s not to say, however, that each salesperson couldn’t benefit from some help.  A change in mindset can be all it takes to change the course of your ship – and your company’s.  Here are the six laws that each sale hinges on: 1. The Law of Vibration Everything carries a frequency or vibration, and the highest form of vibration is thought.  Things in the same frequency will resonate and attract, while elements in different frequencies will repel or oppose.  This means that fixating on positive thoughts will attract more of the same, while ruminating on negative thoughts will prevent you from bringing positivity into your fold.  Great entrepreneurs have command over choosing the thoughts they’re aware of, and therefore, giving the most energy toward.  Focusing on thoughts that empower you attracts more deals, better customers, and high-quality team members. 2. The Law of Cause and Effect Ralph Waldo Emerson called this “the law of laws.”  The concept of cause and effect doesn’t begin at the physical action/reaction level, despite what you learned in high school physics.  Rather, it begins at the conscious thought level.  The cause (the ideas or perspective you choose to focus on consciously) creates feelings (vibrations) that lead to an effect (the frequency you are in).  Again, this attracts opportunities and challenges that are in line with the vibrations you’re giving off.  You and I bring about our thoughts the majority of the time.  To change your results, you must first change your thoughts. 3. The Law of Engenderment Everything in life has an incubation (engenderment) period.  Babies, for example, incubate over an engenderment period of approximately 280 days.  Deals and sales cycles are the same way.  Some sales cycles and products move on impulse; others do not.  A good rule of thumb for entrepreneurs and salespeople is to remember that you’re always 90 days away from your income potential.  This means that what you’re doing today will not likely manifest into real income potential until 90 days from now.  To jump-start this incubation period, be proactive.  Start calling and visiting prospects – you never know which sale will mark the beginning of your big 90-day period. 4. The Law of Rhythm There’s an ebb and flow to the universe.  Great entrepreneurs understand that this rhythm applies to their business and sales as well.  They work to cash in on the high tide in their business or industry so they can create cash reserves for the low tide.  There’s one constant: change.  Don’t assume that the good times will last forever – or that the bad ones will, either.  Accept that you will encounter both, and prepare accordingly. 5. The Law of Compensation Compensation is a function of 1) the need for what you do, 2) your ability to fill that need in comparison to others, and 3) how difficult – or easy – it is to replace you.  For salespeople, this encourages you to take ownership of your job.  You certainly need to focus on your customers and their needs, but you also need to ensure that you have the skills and confidence to tackle their needs head-on.  Focus on your abilities and your growth as a seller, and you will attract more success. 6. The Law of Minimums A phenomenon that I have witnessed over my work with no fewer than 10,000 entrepreneurs and salespeople over the last decade is that of big goals.  Most people who meet with great success set large goals, which is key to stretching their comfort zones.  This, in turn, forces them to increase their awareness.  However, the vast majority will stop when they achieve what I call their “acceptable minimum,” rather than their actual goal.  This is important to remember.  When all five other laws are in play, we are operating on autopilot, and the target destination will invariably be some minimal acceptable standard we fall back on that’s in the general direction of our most-desired dreams.  With this in mind, the purpose of goal-setting outside of our current performance level is two-fold: 1) it requires us to increase our awareness and grow, and 2) it ensures that our acceptable minimums from yesterday do not remain our acceptable minimums of tomorrow.  We have to continue to move ahead. Great salespeople produce 90% of an organization’s sales.  They’re operating from a higher level of minimums within their subconscious.  They may or may not set goals, but all of them inherently have “acceptable minimums” that exceed the status quo.  This causes them to default to a higher autopilot level, and therefore, receive more than the majority of their counterparts. Why shouldn’t you be one of them?  Following these laws of selling will not only strengthen your thoughts and abilities as a salesperson, but your sales will also grow as a direct result of the changes you’re making within.  Gandhi said it best: “Be the change you wish to see.”  It will also be the change your company wishes to see – and you’re the one who can make it happen. Chris J. Snook has spent over 11 years as an author, entrepreneur, and venture catalyst and has spent the last 5 years in the investment community incubating media startups as the Managing Partner of TLEC Ventures. He co-authored three international best-selling books entitled Wealth Matters 2007 and 2011 (2nd Edition) and Burnout: How to Transform Frustration to Fortune in 2005 .

Tagged as: business, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, sales, small-business, success

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Finding Your USP – And Why You Need One

by Paul Joseph January 10, 2012 Featured

The harsh truth is that there are very few unique businesses – those that are unlike any other in the market. In fact, it’s increasingly difficult to think of even one business that began as a unique enterprise and has stayed that way over time. The point is that your business is joined by many, many more businesses competing for customers in the same industry. Your challenge then, is to rise up from the pack and try to uncover how your business is unique from the others in your industry. Why do you deserve to get the customer over a similar business? These days, it simply isn’t enough to compete on price and choice. Today, consumers are after something more. They look for substance and often shop with emotion. This means that you need to create a feeling that stands above what you’re actually selling. This is your USP – Unique Selling Proposition. It’s About Needs We all have the basic human needs we require for survival on earth: food, sleep, shelter, and water. Once these base needs are met we concentrate on things such as health, safety and financial security. Then come our social needs. We all feel the need to belong, to generate friendship and join a community, which leads again to self respect, self esteem and confidence. When we have all these things, we strive for the need to reach our full potential. Your business is really there to satisfy at least one of these human needs. It’s not just the simple task of satisfying these needs that you need to consider, but it is the way you satisfy them. This will make your business unique and raise it above your competitors. For example, when you buy new car you’re buying more than just a vehicle. If it was that easy, all cars would look the same. Instead, different cars provide different extras and levels of comfort. Some cater to specific people while others create a better family option. Beyond each of these options, you’re most likely to go with the car that makes you feel a particular way. The most expensive car may have a bigger price tag, but if you are not feeling a sense of happiness when you step inside it, you will not purchase it. If two salesmen are trying to sell you the same car, but one takes the time to make you feel comfortable and at peace with your choice, you’ll always go with him. If you are treated with respect, you’ll be more likely to return your business in an attempt to recreate that feeling. Make Them Feel It Creating this feeling is what makes your business unique. If you’re not consistent and suddenly change the way you deal with your customers, you’ll lose this feeling. Customers use this feeling constantly to keep on returning to you, so you need to convey it across all of your marketing and business management. If you would like to put into words exactly what this unique feeling is, there are a few ways to do so. Instead of hiring a marketing company to find the words for you, engage with your customers, get inside their heads and try to find out what it is that keeps them coming back to you over your competitors. You’ll discover words and concepts that go together to create a genuine description of this unique feeling. It may be a more challenging way to uncover your USP but you’ll find it a much more fulfilling process and you’ll learn the essence of what makes your business marketable. When you uncover the way you want people to feel when dealing with you and your business, you can build powerful strategies and put into action new processes that will create this feeling in all your customers in the future. Remember, it’s not what you do in business that sets you apart. It’s how you do it. Matthew Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur, and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Adam. Matthew is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs .

Tagged as: business, business planning, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, sales, selling, unique sales proposition

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How Satisfied are Your Customers?

by Paul Joseph December 31, 2011 Featured

Being able to measure the satisfaction level of your customers can be pretty difficult at times. Not only do you rely on customers for their feedback, but you’ve also got to trust that they are being completely honest when providing you with feedback.  People don’t generally contact companies to tell them they’re satisfied.  And even the dissatisfied customers won’t always contact the company to express their dissatisfaction. Instead, they quietly (or not so quietly) boycott the company – swearing to never do business with them again. Setting very high standards for any employees who deal with customers in any way is a must. You’ve got to enforce strict guidelines and procedures to ensure that your customers are being treated in a consistently professional and friendly way.  Make sure to continually measure the success of your employees’ customer service habits. You can do this in several different ways: Go To the Source How can you expect to get proper customer feedback if the only time you hear from your customers is when they are contacting you with a complaint or concern?  As previously stated, most people won’t contact a company to tell them that they’re doing a terrific job. They wait until something goes wrong to reach out to the company.  A good way to get your customers to talk with you and be honest about their experiences is to provide them with customer surveys.  Whether they are done through snail mail, email, or by telephone; having the input of your customers is a very valuable asset. When conducting a customer survey, the best method is the 1 – 5 scale with 1 indicating complete satisfaction and 5 indicating complete dissatisfaction.  Surveying regular customers is also a good way to find out how well your company is doing. Being able to see how the customer’s experiences have changed over time will be a helpful tool. Know what Your Customers Expect of You Common sense tells us that we will be able to offer our customers a better experience when we truly understand what it is that they expect from us.  Finding out what the expectations of your customers are when it comes to both products and services will assist you in being able to meet their needs to the very best of your ability. Examine the Areas Where You are Falling Short Find out where your business is falling short, resulting in less-than-satisfied customers.  Ask yourself some very important questions such as: Are my products or services being advertised to seem better than they really are? Are my employees over-stepping their bounds by promising things that cannot be delivered to customers? Are Customer Service Reps handling customer dissatisfaction and complaints properly?  No matter where the weak link happens to be, discovering it and repairing it quickly will not only show that you care, but will also give you a better opportunity to heal any customer relationships which may have been damaged. Get Down to the Nitty-Gritty Any information that you collect has to be accurate and provide you with a realistic, specific picture of what you’re doing that’s working, and what you’re doing that isn’t working quite as well. Surveys are a great idea, if implemented properly. When providing your customers with surveys, make sure that the survey isn’t too general. Ask for specific information such as the services or products they purchased, if their experience lived up to their expectations, what they liked and what they didn’t care for as far as the entire transaction went, etc.  Make sure to also ask your customers for any comments or suggestions that they might have that would help to improve their experience. Know Your Competition Let’s say that a customer prefers a competitor’s brand over your brand. Wouldn’t you like to know why? One way to find this information out is to ask customers to compare similar products to find out exactly what it is that attracts more customers your competitor’s way.  They may be offering something that you’re not, and you aren’t even aware of it.  Knowing exactly what is going on with your competition will benefit your own business more than you might even realize. By examining the opinions and experiences of your customers, you will be better equipped to provide them with a product or service that exceeds their expectations.  Do that, and you’ll begin to create relationships that will propel your business well into the future! Adam Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Matthew. Adam is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs .

Tagged as: business, business planning, customer service, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, management, sales, small-business

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Seven Tips to Establish Rapport with Potential Prospects

by Paul Joseph November 30, 2011 Featured

Being able to build rapport with potential prospects will be a very valuable skill when trying to launch a new business.  This is important because not only do people buy from people they like, but also because having rapport will greatly improve an entrepreneur’s ability to control and manage an opportunity through a sales cycle.  Below are a few tips that can be used to try to positively trigger rapport with prospects. 1.  Display Humility Finding times to display humility can sometimes establishing a friendlier atmosphere when dealing with prospects.  This might actually sound counterintuitive as we have always been taught to act very confident and assertive as an entrepreneur and showing humility in many ways is the exact opposite of that as it is showing that you are modest and at times imperfect.  You certainly want to be confident in whom you are, in the products you sell, and confident in the company you have built.  But to show the prospect at different times that you are human and in some ways very normal or average can help to create a more friendly and personal relationship. 2.  Compliment the competition Another counterintuitive tactic to increase rapport with prospects is to give a compliment to the competition that you are competing against.  Of course you will want to follow this up with some areas where the competition might have weaknesses or where you clearly have strengths over them. By sharing something positive about the competition, you will create some powerful impressions in that moment.  You will be displaying confidence since you are not afraid to share that type of competitive information.  You will also be presenting yourself more as an advisor than a sales person as you will be sharing valuable information.  Lastly, you will stand to improve your level of credibility due to the fact that if you are sharing information about the competition, you might be sharing true information about your business and products. 3.  Disqualify the prospect Sticking with the counterintuitive theme, we can also stand to increase rapport by disqualifying the prospect.  Disqualifying is sales tactic that is a takeaway where you question if the prospect is a good for what you are selling.  By telling the prospect that you are not sure if what you have is right for them, you might decrease the prospect’s guard as they may view you as looking out for their best interest and this can help to build rapport. 4.  Respect the prospect’s time A very minor thing we can do to help build rapport with prospects is to always respect their time.  If we are calling them, we need to make sure they are available and we are not interrupting anything.  If we are starting a scheduled meeting, we need to confirm that they are still available and identify if there is a particular time when they need the meeting to end.  We can also demonstrate during the meetings that we are aware of the time and managing the flow of the meeting so that we do not over extend what the prospect has given us.  These minor steps can show that we respect them and can have a positive impact on rapport. 5.  Move forward on the prospect’s terms If we are too pushy with prospects in terms of trying to move deals along, we can negatively impact the rapport we have with them.  If we say that is a safe outcome to assume, then we might be able to operate in the direction that if we do the opposite of pushing the prospect along by letting them lead in terms of direction and pace, then we could stand to increase rapport. Here are some questions that can build rapport in sales: What direction to you want to go? What do you want to do next? When would you like me to check back with you? When would you like to meet again? It is important to note that this approach is only good if we have executed well in other key areas like building interest, qualifying the prospect, and identifying pain. If we have not been successful in those areas, if let the prospect lead, they might not lead us anywhere. 6.  Listen to the prospect One tactic that can build rapport and strong relationship is to simply listen to the prospect.  It can be a common for us to get excited and talk too much about the business that we have built and what we are selling.  But if we can stop and focus on listening to the prospect, and let them know that we are listening, we can stand to increase the level of rapport. 7.  Understand the prospect Taking listening to the next level is to let the prospect know you understand them in terms of what they are thinking and trying to say.  We as humans have a need and desire to be understood and by letting a prospect know that we hear and understand what they are saying and where they are coming from can help to build rapport. Michael Halper is Founder and CEO of Launch Pad Solutions, LLC , a sales consulting and outsourcing firm that helps businesses to take off and get to the next level. Read more about Michael here .

Tagged as: business, business psychology, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, sales, selling, small-business, success

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Attracting Your Ideal Customer – Every Time

by Paul Joseph November 28, 2011 Featured

We often see entrepreneurs using what I would call a “shotgun approach” for their marketing efforts. They have the “throw enough [mud] at the wall and something’s bound to stick” philosophy. Not only is that an expensive tactic, it’s also not nearly as effective as targeting your ideal customers. When you organize your marketing (and your business itself) around your ideal customer set, you have an opportunity to truly speak to that audience in terms they understand and are likely to respond to. Casting a wide net – marketing to the public at large, in hopes some of your ideal customers will take notice – requires you to either craft your message in more general terms or risk alienating a large percentage of those who see it. How can you attract your ideal customers every time your message is sent out? Below are three keys to help any business focus their marketing on the group they most want to reach. 1. Identify your market. Who makes up your target market? It always concerns me when someone answers that question with something like, “Anyone and everyone.” Whatever you’re selling, you have a target audience for your product or service that’s made up of a much narrower group than that. And identifying that target group is the first step in any effective marketing plan. This step isn’t just about demographics though. Sure, knowing the age, gender, income level, and geographic location of your target market is important, but the deeper level of understanding you have of your customers, the more focused and effective your marketing can be. What are their pain points? Where do they hang out? What do they like to do? What are they complaining about? Get to know your current customers and create a profile of your ideal customer – who, by the way, should also be someone who buys frequently, and with little hesitation. 2. Find yourself. When they hit a certain age, many people begin to ask, “Who am I really?” And many go off to “find themselves” to answer that question. It’s time to perform a similar exercise for your business. You don’t have to climb a mountain in Tibet and talk to a guru though. This quest is about identifying the personality of your company and those traits that make it stand out from the crowd. Once you’ve figured out exactly who your ideal customer is, you have to give them a reason to choose you over your competition. Their decision will depend on your ability to communicate your uniqueness, and the better you know “who you are,” the easier it will be to do that. 3. Communicate clearly. You know who your ideal customer is; you know who you are. Now it’s time to communicate what you’ve learned. Whether you plan to use social media, radio, billboards, or an email campaign, you should be communicating the same message: If you’re this person (ideal customer) Looking for this (your product or service) From a company like this (“who you are”) Then we’re a perfect match! (buy now) Of course you’ll rarely communicate that message in those terms exactly, but whether it’s a full page ad or just an image with a few words of text, the point should be clear: You know your customers and what they want, and you’ve got it! What other tips do you have for targeting the perfect audience for your business? Share your insights in the comments and on our Facebook page ! Matthew Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur, and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Adam. Matthew is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs .

Tagged as: business, business planning, customers, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, marketing, marketing tip, sales

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What Your Customers (and everyone else) Really Want

by Paul Joseph November 22, 2011 Featured

Is there one thing your customers, employees, friends, and family all have in common – one thing they all want from you? Your relationship may be very different with each group of people in your life, and their needs and expectations do vary. But in fact there is something that all of us desire, and if you can provide it, you’ll come out ahead in every interaction you have with people. That one bit of relationship magic that can do so much is providing a sense that the other person is valued . Entrepreneurs and managers of every sized business are always looking for a way to get a leg up on the competition, improve performance and productivity, and increase customer loyalty. They buy books and programs about leadership and management; they attend seminars on effective communication; and they research the latest customer service data. But if you’re able to show your customers, employees, and peers that you value them, and they really believe it, you’ll experience higher loyalty from clients and staff, and you can truly transform your business. Recognizing Someone’s Value Communicating that you value someone is important for building a strong relationship. But before you can do that, you need to truly recognize the value others have. That starts with respecting the people you deal with every day, and noticing and appreciating their contributions to your business. Too often, managers and owners develop an “us versus them” mentality when it comes to employees, and even customers. When that starts to happen, it’s imperative to step back and identify where that feeling is coming from, and then work on changing your focus to the value those groups provide. With customers, that should be pretty easy. It’s almost cliché to point out that without them, you wouldn’t have a business. When it comes to employees, it should also come easily, as they are surely contributing something to the organization. If not, you have a whole other challenge that needs to be addressed. More than Words Recognizing the value others bring to your business is an important first step. Now you need to let them know you value them. Feeling appreciated, understood, accepted, and important are necessary for all of us. In fact, in a number of studies conducted over the past 20+ years, feeling as though they matter to the company consistently outranks pay in importance among surveyed employees. The results among customer studies are similar. Most people are willing to spend more or go out of their way to deal with a company they feel values their business. Telling someone how much you value them is great, but it isn’t enough. This is one area where lip service won’t have an impact like action will. If you have a sign hanging in your store or a paragraph on your website telling customers how much you value them, but take too long to get back to them when they contact you or make them jump through hoops to make a return, you’ve communicated how you really feel in your actions. If you value someone’s time and their business, they can tell by how they’re treated. Likewise, a pat on the back when an employee does a great job is nice, but really showing them you value them as a part of your team comes from the policies you put in place and how you treat them overall. Giving someone more responsibility and treating them like a professional are clear signs you value them and will go much further than any kudos or platitudes. People have a need to feel valued, and the company that understands that and acts on it has a huge advantage over those that don’t. If you’re not sure how people around you feel about the level of value you place on them, it’s time to find out. And it might be time to make some changes to the way you’re communicating how you feel about the value others provide. Adam Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Matthew. Adam is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs .

Tagged as: business, business psychology, customer service, employees, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, management, sales, small-business

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Sales 2.0 for Startups

by Paul Joseph September 26, 2011 Featured

Having founded a SaaS and Enterprise software product start up, I have had a chance to observe and study the sales cycles of quite a few Silicon Valley products in the similar space. Sales 2.0 is a trend which started around 3-4 years old and is rampant in those startups but it yet to catch up with majority of the Indian ones. Please note that I am not a Sales 2.0 ‘expert’, though I have experienced scenarios, tried and tested a few things and learnt a few things from those experiences. Traditional Sales 1.0 Process: A lead is generated who either fills your contact us form on the website or you make cold calls and send outbound mails. The next step you do is try and set up a call or a meeting and then you go “Hi, am Divyesh here from DRONA and we provide a mobile based employee engagement platform which has XYZ features etc” and then you give them a demo of the same, pass on white papers and case studies, ask relevant questions and share the pricing. In doing so you would require an exhaustive sales team which for a start-up is not feasible with their shoestring budgets. Secondly, in normal sales cycle the conversion rates are around 3% and if a lead drops off in between, you end up spending a lot of time and energy and hence money on them, this has forced a paradigm shift to Sales 2.0. In a typical Sales 2.0 process before you or your sales guy actually gets talking to a prospect you have already crossed 2-3 steps of a traditional sales 1.0 process. The idea is to nurture the leads, analyze them, qualify them if they are an opportunity and only then get talking to them. As Entrepreneurs, you would need to understand the following things for it: Customers love being anonymous: Your prospects who come to your website, want to know your product, its features, case studies if any, your customers, testimonials, get their hands dirty on a demo, check your pricing, compare it with any competitors of yours etc. They absolutely hate typical sales guys calling them up for a meeting or a demo or anything else even if you are not being pushy. So get your act together and put all these things on your website. Reveal your pricing: A lot of your leads will drop off after knowing your pricing (they may not afford it or may not have budgets presently) and hence revealing it in the end is not a good idea for a SaaS product as you would have ended up spending a lot of time with the prospect by then. The last thing you want to do is surprise your prospect with your pricing. Nurture your leads: Not all the people who check your product or take your demo will convert into a customer immediately. Depending on if they have taken your demo or seen the case studies or downloaded a white paper you would need to put a score to them and send them emails accordingly till you know they are qualified enough for you to get talking to them. (Send them stuff which will help them do better at their job which is also relevant to your product) You would find a lot of Web 2.0 and social tools which will help you do it; I will cover the same in one of the coming articles. Research your prospect: Ideally you should spend about 15-20 minutes researching about the prospect and his company you are going to talk to. Since he has already gone through your nurturing process, he would ideally have a lot of questions for you pertaining to your product applicable for his business, and you have an excellent chance to be a consultant to him if you know him and his business in and out. The article can be even longer and Sales 2.0 is an ever evolving process until it suits your business and product. It needs to be inculcated more as a practice rather than a process, and the pointers will act as good food for thought to model your Sales 2.0 process around it. What are your views on ‘Sales 2.0 for Startups’? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment or by writing to us at feedback@yourstory.in We look forward to your thoughts. About the Author Divyesh Kharade is the Co-Founder and CEO of Deltecs InfoTech a company which endeavors to take employee and customer engagement to the next level through its flagship product DRONA. He is of the firm belief that Technology Product companies from India can make it big and loves meeting and mentoring start ups in the similar space. Having done his engineering from Mumbai University he also serves as an advisor on the board of one more start-up. You may also like to read: 75 Takeaways and Tips from OME May Workshop: Web Marketing for Startups 1M/1M Strategy Roundtable: Startups in Malaysia 02 Supply, Startup Focused Venture Fund is looking to Invest in Promising Ideas and Startups

Tagged as: divyesh kharade, Featured, guest columnists, resources, sales, sales tips, startups

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What the App Store Taught Me About Making an Awesome First Impression

by Paul Joseph August 26, 2011 Featured

Getting our new game Goop prepared for the App Store was no easy task, once we realized what we were up against. We had millions of potential customers at our fingertips, each with different cultural backgrounds, speaking different languages, and varied degrees of familiarity with the use of a touchscreen device. To top it off, we had to find a way to get in the faces of our potential customers while competing with 400,000 other apps in the App Store for attention. This was going to be tough. After a quick panic attack, we figured our key to success was going to be the ability to make an awesome first impression. We weren’t going to get many opportunities to be in the face of our buyers and we had to focus on getting it right the first time. This was the only way we could get through to an audience that is bombarded with practically hundreds of other app options at once each time they browse the App Store. Lucky for us we understood it was time to get busy and study the App Store. We researched what commonalities the top apps shared, what the App Store shoppers liked, and we left with some helpful takeaways that can be applied to any business out there looking to make a whopping first impression. Focus on the first few seconds. Let’s be honest. We all hate snap judgements, but we all make them. It’s the very thing that saved our predecessors from being eaten by lions. They made the snap judgement that lions looked dangerous, so they stayed away. It’s just what humans do. Get the customer to love your product in their first few seconds. In our case this meant we had to make sure the first thing the customer saw, which was Goop’s app icon, intrigued App Store buyers enough to even want to find out more. If the users didn’t like our icon, it wasn’t possible for them to buy Goop. We had to make sure the app icon both told the story and sparked the browser’s interest. Next, we focused on what the customer was able to see next, Goop’s app description. We couldn’t start off describing Goop as ‘a game that took 8 months to develop with characters and music’ that’s simply too boring. Who wants to play that game? Apple only shows the first two lines of our app description in the App Store without requiring the customer to click on the “more” button to read on. So these two lines of text had to be works of art. In our case, we chose to add short quotes from reviewers as the first two lines of text. To complete the description we made sure to tell a story, keep it short, and focus on bulleted lists. People don’t like to read, so keep it short and simple when they have to do so. Browsers checking out Goop would see the screenshots next. You only get five, so they had to tell the story. Goop is a game and it’s supposed to be fun. It would be ridiculous to choose screenshots of the least exciting parts of the game like our menus and about screen. Make sure to select photos that highlight your product, tell the story, and get people not only wanting to see more, but share your product. To seal the deal, the last thing people would see before purchasing Goop is other player’s reviews. It was imperative to make sure things started out right, so we made sure to invite those who beta tested our game early to leave their review. These players already liked our game so simply asking them to share their love for Goop with the public was a breeze. Leaving potential customers assured they that would enjoy playing Goop themselves. Give the customer what they are looking for. Don’t confuse your buyer with too many messages. Your buyer is just as busy as you are, they need something specific, they came to you to look for it, so do them a favor and get to your point. When completing our app description for Goop, we kept in mind that our potential customers were really just looking for something fun to occupy their time. This could be anyone just taking a five to ten minute break from life on their couch or someone waiting in the doctor’s office. It would have been a huge mistake to list in our description that you can play Goop for hours. Just because you can, the buyers interested in Goop aren’t looking to do that. Those wanting to play Goop are looking for something with little to no learning curve, that they can quickly pick up and play whenever they have some free time, and that’s exactly what we emphasized. Make sure you let the customer know that your solution is what they are looking for. Do this quickly and make it as clear as possible. You better follow up. The first impression doesn’t stop with pretty packaging. You have to realize that there will be multiple times to make a “first” impression with your product. Think about it. There is a first time they smell your product, the first time they touch it, the first time they open the package. Each one of those first time experiences are first impressions, so they better follow the lead of that pretty packaging you lured them to your product with. With Goop our first impressions are the player’s first time hearing the music, their first time actually moving one of the Eeeps (the characters in our game), the first time they use the menu, and the first time they win. Each of these firsts had to live up to the refined app description, the nice icon, and the great screenshots. It would leave the player disappointed if it didn’t and no one wants disappointed customers. All in all preparing for such a competitive marketplace really helped us refine our product and it has definitely paid off. Everything we focused on, our customers and reviewers have noticed. First impressions are everything. Make sure your product is making a killer one by paying attention to the details. Ashli Norton is the Co-Founder and “Everything-Elser” for Fine & Dandy Games, a small indie game shop bringing fun game titles like Goop to a device near you. Read more about Ashli here .

Tagged as: business, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, internet marketing, sales, success, technology

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Four Steps to Strengthen Your Sales Strategy

by Paul Joseph August 12, 2011 Featured

We can have the best products or the most quality services, but if our sales strategy is not strong, our success will not be as great as it could be.  And while business owners and sales managers can easily debate as to what the right sales strategy is, there are four clear steps that can be taken to strengthen the overall sales strategy, direction, and messaging. Step 1:  Clearly define how you help your customers (VALUE PROPOSITION) As a business owner, it is easy to completely know your products and services inside and out in terms of features and benefits.  But what is the actual value that your clients and customers realize when they consume or implement what they purchase from you?  It is clearly understanding and embracing this that is the first step to strengthening your sales strategy. A common mistake in this area is that we can get stuck at the features and benefits level and think that the benefits are the core value that we have to offer.  While the benefits are important, to be more effective we need to dig deeper to understand how those benefits add up to impact our clients from a business standpoint.  It is this deeper level that will be the core business value that we have to offer and we need to outline this to build out a strong value proposition and sales strategy. Once we have a strong value propositions established, we can then use that as the foundation for all of our sales and marketing communications. Step 2:  Identify how you differ from you competition (DIFFERENTION) Regardless of what you sell, we must be prepared for competition in order to have a strong sales strategy.  While we have little control over what the competition does, we have tremendous control over what we do.  And one thing that we can clearly and easily do to defend ourselves is to identify how we differ from the competition. When outlining your differentiation, you can identify the areas where you have strengths compared to the competition, you can identify where your competition has weaknesses, or you can summarize a mix of both. Once we have clarity around our differentiation from the competition, not only can we fine tune our overall strategy, but we will also be more prepared to execute and communicate well when meeting with prospects. Step 3:  Determine the prospects that benefit most from your products and services (TARGET MARKET) For most businesses, it is likely the products and services sold can be sold to many different groups of buyers.  But it is also likely that there are groups that may fit better than others in terms of the value realized and ability to purchase.  With time and resources being limited, we must focus on the group of buyers where the biggest bang for our buck exists and by putting a laser focus on this area, we will strengthen our sales strategy that will help to strengthen our sales strategy. Step 4:  Map out the best way to connect with your prospects (COMMUNICATION MODEL) At this point we have defined the value we offer, we are clear on how we differ, and we know who we are trying reach.  Now we just need to figure out the best way to connect with our target prospects and what mix of communications methods to use.  This will be greatly impacted by the products being sold and the type of customers being sold to, but will ideally be a mix of cold calling, email marketing, networking, social media, door-to-door, referrals, repeat business, etc. The mix of communication tools and methods will typically vary from product to product, but one thing is for certain and that is that a strong sales strategy will utilize multiple ways to communicate with target prospects. Those are four key steps that attention and thoroughness can be placed to improve and strengthen a business’ sales strategy.  Have had any results for execution in one or all of these four steps?  Share your thoughts below! Michael Halper is Founder and CEO of Launch Pad Solutions, LLC, a sales consulting and outsourcing firm that helps businesses to take off and get to the next level. Read more about Michael here .

Tagged as: business, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, sales, sales strategy, small-business, success

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One Thing a Business Will Fail Without

by Paul Joseph August 4, 2011 Featured

Too often, entrepreneurs focus so intently on one thing, and they completely forget the other important pieces that are vital for their business. For example, a business may look just at making themselves better with social media, when they completely forget what I think is the most important thing your business should have, and that is quality. When you tell someone about a product you bought, why did you choose to do that? It was a great product, correct? No one told you to share it, no one gave you a link to re-tweet; you just told someone about it! Wouldn’t it be nice to have the same thing happen in your business? Without lifting a finger, customers spread the word about your product! Oh, and did I mention, having all of this without paying an extra penny? But how can you get this effect? Is this even accessible to a smaller business? Well, let me tell you, it is possible – not easy, but definitely possible. Look at your product or service, whatever your customers are paying for, and ask yourself, “If I just purchased what I am selling today, would I be ecstatic about it and tell everyone I know about it?” Nowadays, generating this reaction is becoming more and more important. Social media has entered the field, and if you dominate social media, dominating sales will be that much easier. There is always something that you can do to make your product better. Period. Sure, you may not find something noticeable at first, but as you dig deeper you can find something that can be improved. I recommend talking to the very people that have bought your products. They have used your product or service, and have no doubt found flaws in what you have to offer that you can’t find yourself. Either way, connecting with your customer is very important, but this time you can get valuable information that can help your product or service, that should in turn help the customer. Instead of throwing out big dough for a marketing campaign, this is good exposure for your business that you can get for free, increasing sales and the happiness of your customer. Now, do not forget the other things that make your business work. Like I said earlier, you can eventually fail if you only focus on quality. Once you find the flaws, don’t drop that connection with the customer. Keep finding people willing to share about your product, whether it’s something new they want, something that should be fixed, or even something that they think you should do away with altogether. At 14 years old, Justin Fowler is an established technology reviewer on YouTube and owner and writer for ReloadingBusiness.com. Read more about Justin here .

Tagged as: business, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, product, quality, sales, small-business

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