Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right. -Oprah Winfrey

Differentiate yourself from the competition and sell more

Sales professional / business development / growth strategist. We go by many different titles but our goals are the same...to bring in new business.

But everywhere we turn, we face competition. Competitors vying for the same customers and our piece of the market. What can we do to stand out? 

BE DIFFERENT!
Have a clear idea of how you're different compared to your competition...and how those differences will benefit your prospects. Know your prospect's most important needs, their pain points...then and only then do you have their attention.

Set yourself apart from your competition by delivering to your prospect something they value that your competition doesn't necessarily have. Perhaps it's the skills and expertise you offer, the knowledge you have of their industry, being prepared to have a truly meaningful conversation.

So how are you different compared to your competitors? Make a list and check it twice!

Stop chasing prospects and get more business.

I know this to be true from my own experience...the more face-to-face interactions I have, the more likely I am to close the deal.

We've all set up our sales stages: Lead, Prospect, Assessment, Proposal, etc. But are they effective for closing the deal? With this plan, we have no idea who is really interested in moving forward. Who is a time waster and who is a real opportunity?

It's a scary thought, but stop chasing prospects. Schedule each meeting with your prospects at the end of the current meeting.
If your prospect doesn't want to schedule time with you, it means they probably don't want to work with you.

It's a lot easier for a prospect to say NO to someone they've had one meeting with,  received a couple of emails from and an occasional voice mail...BUT when you're engaged with your prospects they come to learn your true value face to face.

At each meeting, my prospects get to know me, they see what it would be like to work with me, they find out more about me, my personality and my genuine interest in their business. You can't do that with email and voice mail. When they schedule their next meeting with me, I know they're interested in continuing our business relationship...YES!

Don't forget, it works both ways, after a meeting or two you might discover that this prospect is not one you want to do business with. Better to find out sooner rather than later!

Using multimedia in multiple ways

In addition to providing a more engaging experience, multimedia increases your options for distributing content. 

Video is versatile, you can:

> Embed your company or “how-to” videos into a blog post

> Turn them into thumbnails on Facebook
> Link them on Twitter
> Share them on your LinkedIn profile and company page 
Don't forget to set up your YouTube Channel, you can add company info and more.

Take your Instagram photo and:
> Add it to your blog post
> Post it as a thumbnail on your Facebook page
> Put it on your LinkedIn updates
Don't forget to make it a hyperlink to your content to drive even more engagement!

Using your own creative and informative multimedia content creates value while sharing your knowledge. This will always appeal to your audience than the hard sell approach.

Even though it's Friday the 13th, remember...

3 Habits of Successful Business People

3 qualities of successful people and how you can make them your own:

1. Say 'no' to distractions. Successful people optimize their time because they're disciplined. Successful people have that same list of tasks to accomplish as we do, but the difference is they make time to get them all done with no excuses.
I might be out with my family, but I'm always aware of business opportunities around me. I don’t just shut it off when I’m not at work.

2. Read something new every day. Successful people read constantly, find mentors who can teach them and value new information that can help push them forward. Don't ever stop learning about your product, customers and competition.
I set aside time in the morning with my first cup of coffee to read an article I bookmarked that will help or inspire me.

3. Don't give up so easily. Everyone fails, it’s part of life. Too many people take failure as a sign it's time for them to give up. Those people don’t get very far. What sets successful people apart is the ability to get up, re-evaluate and give it another go with a better plan for how to succeed the next time around.

When things don't go as planned, I remind myself: 
 “To avoid failure is to limit accomplishment.” – Will Rogers

“Failure is just a resting place. It is an opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” – Henry Ford

“I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison

#GivingTuesday and #ColoradoGives

Today is Give First Tuesday, next Tuesday is Colorado Gives Day...

Do you have a favorite charity? Please post it below!
Organizers hope that consumers will spread holiday cheer to those less fortunate by participating in donating to charities.  

GIVE WHERE YOU LIVE: Colorado's Giving Day is December 10th

Check out https://www.coloradogives.org/  

Learn about your favorite Colorado charities and discover new ones. Brought to you by Community First Foundation, but fueled by the people of Colorado.

Stay Engaged With Your Customers

3 easy ways to stay top-of-mind with your customers

You don't need bells and whistles to show your customers you care. Here are 3 simple things you can do this week:

1. Send a hand written thank you note. It's not old fashioned, it's memorable.

2. Call to say hello, ask if there are any issues you can help them with.

3.When you run across a useful article they would be interested in, send them an
email or give them a call.  

It's easy to let your customers know you appreciate them and their business.