American Express

Posts Tagged ‘Better Business’

It’s a world of opportunity out there for businesses smart enough to take advantage of it. Businesses are learning how to make money online, consumers are receptive to doing business online, and technology is making life easier as well as less expensive to accomplish what would have seemed like a dream only a couple years ago.

Businesses are using the Internet to get leads, sell their wares, provide customer service, market their business, and more. A recent study by wellknown hosting company Interland (http://www.interland.com/) uncovered that 69 percent of small businesses defined the Internet as critical in driving business. In that same study, almost all companies said the Internet is very or somewhat important to driving business.We are at a stage now where having an online presence is a necessity for businesses to compete today. Businesses are making money online and are not just spending it on SuperBowl ads.

E-mail and the internet are a vital element of business and a brilliant sales tool. It must be accepted that e-mail enquiries can happen 24 hours a day. But the rule of thumb is to respond quickly with the information requested. If customers place an order – and put yourself in their shoes here – they will want confirmation that the order has been received, and they will want dispatch information as well.

May I remind you that every enquiry could lead to a customer becoming a brand ambassador? If you are unable to meet their request, how about:

1. Offering an alternative or even ?
2. Recommending a competitor ?

It is fascinating where this can lead you in the future. I personally recommend, as we do in our office, that on the back of an e-mail enquiry you always endeavour to speak to the customer. This does prove that in many cases business can be won as one gleans more information from customers as to the problem they have that they need to solve. Most sales result from a customer problem. Remember, as I stated in the Introduction, you are a solutions specialist.

The emphasis of modern selling is to develop what is known as relationship and consultative selling. Both of those adjectives will be explained in more detail in the following chapters. Suffice to say at this stage that it is much easier to win new business from a person who you have developed a relationship with rather than a complete stranger.

We have all heard sales people brag that they do business with X, Y and Z company. I have tried over the years to sell to companies, to the private sector and the public sector, to government bodies and institutions, to homes and flats, and I have never achieved a sale. I have only ever made a sale to another person. So your marketplace is no different from mine.Selling is about relationships, trust and earning respect. In building relationships you must become a good ambassador of your product or your company, and to do this you will need six vital ingredients:

1. Business knowledge
2. Industry knowledge
3. Company knowledge
4. Product knowledge
5. Sales skills
6. Attitude