SELLING In Crazy Times! by Vince Crew, Featured speaker at Farmington/Farmington Hills Chamber of Commerce seminar on February 20, 2003

Reprinted with permission from Vince Crew. Vince operates REACH Development Services. He is a conference speaker and adviser who work with business owners, healthcare and nonprofit executives on the critical issues of leading people and organizations. Vince will be presenting our program "How to Brand, Market & Sell in Crazy Times" on February 20th. Vince will be provided a list of attendees so that he will be able to address your issues at this seminar. Co-sponsored by Stevens Worldwide Van Lines, this marketing seminar will be held at bps Corporate Training & Conference Center in Beverly Hills, MI. Also sponsoring this event are: Expanets, Hotel Baronette, The Print House, bps Corporate Training & Conference Center, Intelligent Office, and Botsford Health Care Continuum. Call the chamber office for more information at 248-474-3440 ext. 21.

The idea here is to study every avenue possible to help you dramatically increase sales. This includes looking for new customers and further identifying ways to sell more to existing customers.

Define Your Best Prospect and Customer

Spot trends or common traits of the prospects that turned into customers.
Look at size, location, structure, industry, and problems.
No doubt youre really NOT ideal for EVERYBODY. Like a hawk from hundreds of feet above a grassy field, spot them and methodically zoom in. Strike, not to make a killing, but to make a living... a living and lasting relationship for future sales.

Co- Marketing and Partnering

Are there certain associations, suppliers and others serving the kind of prospects and customers you want?
If there are no blatant competitive conflicts, perhaps there exists an opportunity for joint marketing and/or referrals. Remember, its got to be win-win-win to work -- you must win, the partner must win and the customer must win.
Caution, the most frustrating and time-consuming investment is in striking the deal, but dont ignore managing the relationship afterwards to maximize and realize the potential. Consider joint mailings, ads, seminars, etc.

Testimonials and Referrals

Most customers are more than pleased to offer a testimonial or a lead IF theyre #1 asked, #2 thanked and #3 followed up on the outcomes. I cant tell you how many times Ive given leads and never heard the outcome. Ive also been guilty of getting leads and not following through on them. Its easy to overlook the fact that if you ask for my help and dont use it, Im less likely to do it again.

Community Involvement

Whether your professional community or your geographic sales community -- get involved, get visible. Volunteer, contribute, join the chamber, service clubs, church, and other groups that will improve your visibility, importance and well-being.

Beware of Price-Cutting

Dont sacrifice margin UNLESS: theres inventory that is better moved out; it could be an entree into a potentially profitable account; you simply need to turn orders and produce immediate cash flow; you can cut back on the extras or service that generally accompanies the full price; and/or you truly can justify the long term consequences -- IF you come in as the price-cutter, thats your reputation.