Top Secrets of Marketing & Sales

In every business and even in a non-profit, someone is responsible for bringing in the money. Who is it in your organization? And are they up to the task? In every organization, there is a person or persons responsible for bringing in the money. That person could be the pastor of a church. In a nonprofit it could be an Executive Director or Development Director. Inside a small business it could be...

Last week, I gave you an example of how poor customer service kills sales. And while the example was retail, it applies to all businesses and industries. So today, I thought I’d give you an example of the exact opposite. How good customer service can help save business, including retail. In our last episode, I told you about part of my recent, retail shopping experience, and how it could rea...

In today’s podcast, I recall a memorable shopping experience which reminded me there is a right and wrong way to do customer service. It provides a clear example of how customer service is killing sales — especially retail! And five things any business can learn from this experience. I’m Not a Great Shopper This weekend, I went shopping — which is pretty unusual for me. Occ...

Members of our Total Market Domination course focus on initiating contact with markets worth dominating — this means reaching the specific people in their markets who are likely to spend the most money with them. It’s not about dominating everyone in a market, because many don’t have two nickels to rub together. Instead, it’s about totally dominating the segment of the mark...

Many people don’t think it’s possible to dominate their market, because they’ve never clearly identified exactly which market, businesses or individuals they need to reach. In our last episode we explained the importance of mindset when it comes to market domination, and how if you don’t think it’s possible, you’ll never even attempt it. And it’s that fail...

I’m not a huge fan of the “woo-woo” or “rah-rah” aspects of mindset that are preached by other people. But, if you plan to dominate your market, you need to have a few solid, concrete aspects of mindset in place. Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t — you’re right.” I think that’s a reasonable statemen...

Sales follow-up is essential. How often should I follow up with prospects and clients? It’s a question I get a lot, and as attention spans have shortened over the years, my thoughts on this subject have changed… but not in the way you might expect. I am very often asked how often we should follow up with prospects and clients. And while there is no “one size fits all” answe...

When visiting London, many years ago, I noticed signs throughout their subway system — what they call the underground. The signs said “Mind the Gap,” referring to the gap between the train and the station platform. It stuck me as a unusual combination of words, and since then, I’ve always used it as an analogy for the gaps we encounter in business, and how important it is f...

I started a new challenge this month for my Total Market Domination clients. It’s about how to grow your sales and start dominating your market in just 22 minutes a day. Sound crazy? Not when you consider the fact that many people, in fact most people, blow a lot more time than that on activities that are completely counterproductive or even harmful, while spending little to no time at all o...

Uh oh. Sales have dropped off a bit. Not a huge decline, just a few percent. Well maybe, four, six, eight, something like that. No big deal, right? Well, it could be no big deal, or it could be one of the Five Early Symptoms of a Seriously Struggling Business. I have conversations all the time with salespeople and business owners who are dealing with various issues in their businesses. Maybe it se...

Where do you go to get clients? Do you get them online? Do you rely on your local BNI group? Do you prospect through your local Chamber of Commerce? Do you get most of your leads via referrals? Regardless of where you go to get clients, the real question becomes “how’s that working for you?” Are you able to generate adequate lead flow to produce the level of sales you need? And i...

Many salespeople just “wing it” when talking to clients. They think a little product knowledge and a decent personality are all it takes to win clients and close sales. And while those traits can help, primarily with those who were already predisposed to buy from you, they certainly won’t close everyone. Nor will they take the place of extreme competence — being exceptional...

Show me a business that has no secrets and I’ll show you a business that has no value. Over the years, I’ve taken some heat for our brand Topsecrets.com and for my belief that it’s our business secrets that create the most value in our organizations. Still, there are people who say, “there are no secrets in business.” Some just state it as fact with no attempt to expl...

What are you currently telling the market about what you do and how you do it? Do you talk about service? Do you talk about professionalism? Do you talk about speed of service or competitive pricing? Whatever it is you’re saying, be careful. Because the things you tell the market about yourself can be deadly. David: Hi and welcome to the podcast. Today cohost Chris Templeton and I will be ta...

Rejection in sales comes with the territory. When you’re trying to sell something, people will often say no. They’ll tell you they don’t need it, don’t want it, can’t use it. And by the way, “why are you bothering me about this?” While rejection in sales is a given, we don’t have to take it personally. Hi, and welcome to the podcast today, cohost Chr...

If you were to examine the best sales presentations you’ve ever done, (that is, the ones that created the best results for both you and your client), it is very likely that there were five elements present. In this episode, we'll examine them.

When I'm consulting clients, I frequently quote the line "failure is not an option" from the movie Apollo 13. It's a mindset worth adopting. In this podcast we'll discuss the importance of procedures in sales and how they lead from failure to success.

Some people have trouble achieving because they’ve never really outlined their goals and when you fail to define what you want, it’s nearly impossible to get it. But maybe you have outlined your goals, you know exactly what you want, you’ve written it down like a good goal setter and you review it regularly. If you’re still not achieving, then it’s likely you’ve...

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! This morning, I woke up, jumped on the treadmill and thought about the story of St. Patrick driving the snakes out of Ireland. And it made me think, “what are the snakes in your life?” What are the snakes in your business? What are the mental snakes? The physical snakes and the emotional snakes? And what can we do to drive them out as quickly as possible? So our topic toda...

How are you at selling remotely? Are you okay with the idea of selling less in person and selling more via phone, email, and text? And if not, what’s that likely to do to your income? David: Hi and welcome to the podcast today cohost Chris Templeton and I will be talking about using phone, email, and text to replace in-person selling. Welcome Chris. Chris: Hi David. You know, to me, selling...

Recently, a long-time client asked me a question about penetrating large accounts. He was talking about how they’re currently working with one location, trying to penetrate a second and then realizing that there are actually many more locations. So the question is “what’s the best way to penetrate a large account?” Many of us sell to companies that have more than one person...

Each year I go to industry trade shows, and whether in-person or virtual, I find some people who have achieved extraordinary results since our last meeting, while others seem stuck and haven’t moved at all. In nearly every case, I can trace the results back to one thing — speed of implementation. Those who take quick action on new ideas succeed, while those who don’t, languish. D...

Indecision is deadly to sales. People think they want to buy something, but they’re not sure what.  Or they know what they want to buy, but they can’t decide on the style or the color, or they may know the style and color, but they just can’t seem to pull the trigger. So today let’s talk about making it easier for people to make a buying decision. David:                   H...

There’s a phrase that’s been popularized in sales which says “buyers are liars.” It refers to those who say they want one thing but end up buying another. I’ve never liked the phrase, and even though it’s occasionally true, I believe there’s another group that deserves the title much more in my opinion.  It’s the non-buyers who are often the real lia...

Lead generation is a critical part of every business because without an adequate supply of leads, it’s impossible to maintain a business. So where do the bulk of your new leads come from these days and where do your best leads come from? Online, offline, or both? David:                   Hi and welcome to the podcast.  Today co-host Chris Templeton and I will be talking lead sourcing, meanin...