Welcome back to Customer Flypaper! if you are not yet a subscriber and want to be notified the next time we post a tip sign up for email alerts or subscribe to our RSS feed.

Now and again you have to stand out from the crowd, many times you have heard me talk about its not just what you sell but how you sell that is important.

Popularity: 87% [?]

Related Posts

• April 14, 2009 -- Persistent or pestering? (0)
• March 12, 2009 -- there is work in netWORKing - the prolgue (2)
• July 27, 2009 -- Consultative Solution Selling by Telephone? (3)
• June 30, 2009 -- Is channel sales really the way to go? (7)
• June 12, 2009 -- Building Rapport - do you let it happen or make it happen? (1)
• June 1, 2009 -- So, your prospect wants a “partnership”? (0)
• May 4, 2009 -- Are you slipping into a dependency culture? (1)
• April 6, 2009 -- Time for some serious sales help - consider an Interim! (1)
• March 25, 2009 -- 10 years sales experience or 1 years experience used 10 times? (0)
• March 16, 2009 -- NetWORKing - an interview with Betsy Wuebker (6)

In the current climate all of us are looking to generate more leads, make more sales and lower operating costs.  The thought of doing your sales and business development via an indirect sales channel operation suddenly becomes very appealing - lots of sales people, who you don’t have to employ, out there selling for you.

Problem is you still have all the responsibility for the numbers but no authority to back it up.  Your own sales guy does not perform you can put them on a plan or even fire them.  The channel guys don’t perform - you’ve got a problem but little authority to sort it out.

So you want to set up a channel sales program?  Here are some tips based on my channel experience that goes back to 1983!.

1.  Work with your channel partners helping them to write a plan for the business they are going to do for you - nothing complicated, you can use a template to guide you.

2.  Do your margin analysis early not as an after thought, your channel needs to earn enough margin points to sell your products, you neeed to earn enough to be able to let them.

3.  Select your channel manager carefully, you need skill to run a channel but above all else you need experience because you need credibility.

4.  Make sure you are planning for managing channel conflict - there WILL be some, either with your own sales team or with other channel partners.

5.  Make sure you get the pricing strategy right and be careful about how you “publish” it, you don’t want the end user to think they can play you all off against each other - further eroding revenue and margins.

The bottom line?  Channel sales is not an instant panacea for winning new sales without the cost of a sales force, it needs thinking through, planning and controlling.  We would always advise get some experienced help writing the plan and training your people.

Channel sales is the way to go so long as its by design and not by accident.

Popularity: 100% [?]

Related Posts

• July 20, 2009 -- Something a little different? (1)
• April 14, 2009 -- Persistent or pestering? (0)
• March 12, 2009 -- there is work in netWORKing - the prolgue (2)
• March 7, 2009 -- There is work in NetWORKing (4)

There is a fine line between being persistent in pursuing a sales opportunity and becoming a pest.  Tenacity will always win out but not if you upset or annoy your prospect during the sales cycle.
Like most sales problems – prevention is better than cure.  Too often we lay ourselves open to becoming a pest by not setting the expectation of what we are going to do in the sales process, and how we are going to work, with the prospect.  In most sales processes it’s not a one step process, follow up is needed.  Perhaps the prospect asks for information, a call back or maybe later in the sale you have submitted a proposal – there are many scenarios where we have to “get back” with the prospect.

Whenever your sales activity requires a next step you need to be assertive with your prospect in agreeing the follow up.  “Can you call me back next week” – should be responded to with “certainly, let’s put a date and time in the calendar for that now” and get the prospect’s commitment that they will be there, they will take your call and they have it in their calendar too.  Otherwise why are YOU agreeing to call back?

What happens instead is that you loosely agree to call back / follow up.  When you do, the prospect doesn’t take the call or they are out or you leave a message.  You don’t get a call back, so you call again.   A few calls and messages later and you have still not spoken to the prospect but you have (in perception or reality) left so many messages your prospect thinks you are a pest – and now they definitely don’t want to work with you.

Don’t put yourself in this position, book follow ups assertively and always think twice before you leave a voice mail message.

Popularity: 53% [?]

Related Posts

• July 20, 2009 -- Something a little different? (1)
• March 16, 2009 -- NetWORKing - an interview with Betsy Wuebker (6)
• March 12, 2009 -- there is work in netWORKing - the prolgue (2)
• February 25, 2009 -- Effective business development demands presenting proposals not sending quotes! (3)
• February 18, 2009 -- Are you really dealing with the decision maker? (1)
• July 27, 2009 -- Consultative Solution Selling by Telephone? (3)
• June 30, 2009 -- Is channel sales really the way to go? (7)
• June 12, 2009 -- Building Rapport - do you let it happen or make it happen? (1)
• June 1, 2009 -- So, your prospect wants a “partnership”? (0)
• May 4, 2009 -- Are you slipping into a dependency culture? (1)

Charlotte Chamber of Commerce holds a monthly “after hours” network meeting - great to meet loads of people, outside of normal working hours and not eating into prime time.

In my last blog,  point number 6,  I suggested following up with people you meet - regardless of how valuable a contact they seem.

At an “after hours” last week an attendee, who was a grant writer, was there looking for work.  They had no business cards and a hefty resume, that did not reflect what skills they had,  a copy of which I declined to take - sorry I am not hiring, not a recruiter and I did have a lot to carry already.

BUT  I did spend time with the person - what’s 10 minutes between new acquaintances and I was not entirely sure what a grant writer did so I learned something.

After a few minutes I asked “are you on Linkedin” - response “no”.  I continued “are you using any social networking media - response “no”.

My reply - “OK, drop me an email with your details and I will keep an eye out for you”.  For those of you that know me this was not an idle promise.

Well, I have heard nothing.  No email, no follow up, no “thanks for your time”.  Guess what, I have found someone that wants …………. you got it ………….. a grant writer.  But I have no way to contact the “networker”.

The lesson from this story - don’t waste your time networking if you are not going to get prepared, not going to make it easy for people to network with you, not going to follow up OR if you are expecting instant results.

Popularity: 41% [?]

Related Posts

• July 27, 2008 -- Out-of-the-Box Networking! (2)
• July 20, 2009 -- Something a little different? (1)
• May 13, 2009 -- How to Double Your Chamber Results in 15 Minutes (2)
• April 14, 2009 -- Persistent or pestering? (0)
• March 16, 2009 -- NetWORKing - an interview with Betsy Wuebker (6)
• March 7, 2009 -- There is work in NetWORKing (4)
• August 31, 2008 -- Does the Chamber Work for You? (4)
• July 27, 2009 -- Consultative Solution Selling by Telephone? (3)
• June 30, 2009 -- Is channel sales really the way to go? (7)
• June 12, 2009 -- Building Rapport - do you let it happen or make it happen? (1)

I am a real fan of face to face networking as a business development tool to compliment your Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Myspace social media network strategy.  Chambers of Commerce, local and national, and business community groups can be great places to network.  But you only get out of a network what you put in.

So here are 6 tips  – some of these are a BGO but they are good reminders:

1.  Get a list of people attending in advance, scan the list to identify people who could be useful contacts.  Go with a plan. Work out what you could say to them that might get their attention or be of interest to them.  I target new small business owners, especially new franchises.  I always say “Welcome to town, great business idea, what made you pick that one?”

2.  If you can’t get a list in advance get there a little early and ask the organziser for a look at the list, identify the people who are likely to be decision makers – especially new members or first times attendees.  Go and make them welcome.  Ask open questions to get the conversation going.

3.  Take plenty of business cards and something small to write on.  OK, OK, OK so no one  would go networking without business cards - right?  Wrong, also take enough!  I always have a little pocket note pad with me (about 2” x 3” nice and discreet) for when the contact I want to get info on has not bought cards, has run out or, as happened this week, I am given a 3rd party to contact.

4.  Don’t be afraid to move on, even when you have found a good contact and you want to exploit the opportunity – you need to make more contacts – so does the other person!  They won’t thank your for keeping them talking and reducing THEIR networking time.

5.  Don’t blatantly sell or inadvertently badger and pester, that’s not what networking is for.  Make contacts - sell later.  Yes sow seeds, mention ideas, give out (brief) information but no hard sells.

6.  Follow up regardless.  No contact is wasted, everyone WILL know someone who can use what you sell, even if they can’t.  So its only courtesy and it keeps you in their thoughts (and database) to send a quick email to EVERYONE you meet – “I was pleased to have the opportunity to learn more  about your business at the network event, I look forward to meeting you again, in the meantime here are my contact details”.

People buy from people, NOTHING beats face to face networking as a component in your marketing mix and it gets you off that keyboard for a couple of hours too!  There is a lot more I could add about networking but remember you only get out what you put in.

Popularity: 34% [?]

Related Posts

• March 12, 2009 -- there is work in netWORKing - the prolgue (2)
• July 20, 2009 -- Something a little different? (1)
• June 30, 2009 -- Is channel sales really the way to go? (7)
• June 1, 2009 -- How to Turn Meeting Notes Into Web Visits (0)
• May 13, 2009 -- How to Double Your Chamber Results in 15 Minutes (2)
• May 4, 2009 -- Are you slipping into a dependency culture? (1)
• April 14, 2009 -- Persistent or pestering? (0)
• March 16, 2009 -- NetWORKing - an interview with Betsy Wuebker (6)
• February 12, 2009 -- Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Works! (1)
• January 6, 2009 -- Insiders Secrets to LinkedIn Success (13)