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Marketing is the lifeblood of any business!  Right?

But, how do you know when it’s working….when you are effective in your marketing efforts?  When you get people to respond.  Right?

Problem is how much are you willing to spend on advertising that Doesn’t Work!!

Listen to this recent interview with Axel Henriksen, a successful business entrepreneur for over 40 years (also known as “The wizard of wealth”).  We discuss these very issues a length and give you information that will save you a TON money on advertising.

Here’s an mp3 download.

Knowledge is Power! With the right knowledge, you can advertise and GET MORE CUSTOMERS!

After all, that’s what you are in business for……….get more CUSTOMERS and make more MONEY.  Without a steady stream of new clients your business can’t grow.  We WANT you to grow!  If your business grows, you’re going to tell someone about it.  Right?  Yea, it’s just human nature……We like to share ideas and experiences even in Business.  We want enough money to grow and have FUN!

As I said, Marketing is the lifeblood of any business, BUT, it can kill your business just as easily if you DON’T change the way you advertise!

The information we are sharing with you is not some theories that we’ve developed.  These are “hard core facts” from years of experience!  We will teach you what WORKS!  It worked yesterday, it works today, and it will work tomorrow!!  Learn why………and avoid what DOSEN’T work.

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People tempted to go it alone might find that working from home isn’t as liberating and uncomplicated as they’d hoped, says business coach Axel Henriksen.

“The excitement and trepidation rise as you take your seat at your desk realizing you are independent, answerable only to yourself, free to manage and prioritize your time, efforts and schedules. Many consultants, trainers, coaches and speakers are escapees from the corporate world; relishing the freedoms afforded self-employment and entrepreneurialism.”

But, he says in an article, the transition is rarely trouble-free, uncomplicated and without stress. “Friends will telephone while you are working, assuming you have an abundance of time to chat. Others will call in mistakenly believing you have ample time for socialisation as well. You may also consider that you have the discretionary time to quickly complete some household chores during your productive work time.”

An abundance of distractions competes for your attention when working from home – ranging from young children to dirty dishes to television – which can destroy your concentration, he says.

There are, however, steps you can take to successfully work from home, and these include:

• Formalize your working environment. It’s tempting to treat working from home informally, “especially considering you are your own boss and answerable to no one (excepting maybe your bank manager)”, Henriksen says. He advises formalising how you will manage and prioritise your work tasks at home. “This can incorporate scheduling of regular tasks, such as telephone calls to clients, report-writing, invoicing, and so on.”It will benefit you to clearly understand how you will handle various scenarios which may impinge upon productivity, like: drop-ins by friends and relatives, interruptions by family members during important telephone calls, or children’s illnesses requiring they remain home from school. You might consider designating scheduled appointments for household chores, family errands, and recreational activities that you might otherwise be tempted to slip in to your working day.”
• Maintain balance. Many work-from-home professionals “work far too hard, and not nearly smart enough”, Henriksen says. “Be realistic and be kind to yourself; emotionally, physically and creatively. Your success or otherwise will have less to do with the number of hours you work and more to do with the results and outcomes you produce.”There is no reason why home-based entrepreneurs can’t be sitting by the pool at two in the afternoon, he notes, and they shouldn’t feel guilty about dropping by the ‘office’ at nine at night to send emails and write a report. “Just because you have your office at home does not necessarily require you work ‘office’ hours. But it is incumbent upon you to be disciplined to do what is needed, when it is needed.”
• Pronouncements for the home. Just because you’re clear about your work patterns and priorities doesn’t mean your family will have the same understanding.”There is no valid reason why you cannot close the door to your home-office as a simple indicator to your family that you cannot be disturbed and/or you are on an important telephone call and quiet is important. Explain the measures to your family in advance, and then use those measures as needed, but only as needed so that they are not only understood but respected by others in your home.”
• Location, location, location. “Where your office is located within the confines of your residence will play a big role in the potential distractions and how enticing those distractions may become to you,” Henriksen says. “Ideally, your office should be away from the busiest areas of the home; not in the thoroughfare of life. Neither should it be in your bedroom! It does need a door… that closes.”You also need a separate and dedicated business telephone line “that nobody else in the family answers, ever!” he says. And it is better that you have your own office equipment that is not for family use. “Computers, printers, scanners and alike are tools of your business. Let the family have their own in another area of the home.”
• Achieve more by doing less. “Whether it be home duties or business needs, where it makes sense and is readily done with minimum supervision, outsource tasks,” Henriksen says. “Get a housekeeper, have the lawns and gardens handled for you by a contractor, hire an external bookkeeper, use a virtual assistant; you get the idea. Utilise others to quickly accomplish tasks that distract and unenthuse you so that your creative and productive energies remain focused on bringing in the high-premium business results.”

Managers need new mindset for work-from-home success

Work-from-home arrangements can also save recruitment agencies money during the downturn – by reducing the need for large office space and resources – and help consultants save on transport costs and commuting times.

But according to HR consultant Jenny Roberts, of hranywhere, managers with outdated attitudes about productivity are the main obstacle to work-from-home success.

She told Recruiter Daily’s associate publication, HR Daily, that too many managers still believe employees must be “chained to their desks from 8.30 to 5.30″ when in fact it is “outputs that are important, not the face time”.

Work-from-home arrangements require trust on both sides of the employment relationship and good communication, she says.

Consultants should clarify with managers the work that they will have completed by the end of each day or week, and managers should measure their outputs against that.

Managers must realise that if a consultant chooses to do their laundry during the day, or run errands, than that’s irrelevant if they spend the evening writing job ads, Roberts says.

She recommends managers formalise a work-from-home policy, which should cover:

• the types of jobs that can be performed from home (this might need to exclude employees required to answer the phones at work), to avoid confusion and resentment among staff;
• the process of applying to work from home; and
• the equipment required for a work station to meet proper OHS standards (consultants shouldn’t be “sitting at the kitchen table with a laptop”).

Working from home can get lonely, she adds, so there should also be measures in place to ensure consultants stay in contact with the office – such as through social networks, Skype instant messaging or other means – and they should attend the office on a regular basis for meetings.

Sales, as many of you know, is a business of numbers.  This more contacts you make, the more sales you can make.  It’s also called your sales ratio.

This video will help you improve your ratio.

Your thoughts and comments are always welcome!

For more information visit http://bob.myprofileworldwide.com

1. No is a bad sign

This is not just an issue with sales professionals; sales managers fail to understand that “No’s”, and a lot of them, are inevitable.  Maybe it is because of so many consultants claiming to have the answer, maybe it is because sales managers worked the phones in a different era, but it is hard out there now.  Some sales people prospect better than others.  These sales people receive less No’s, but they receive plenty of them.  We can coach for a better outcome, but we will not be able to avoid rejection.   However, now a sales professional knows where to place their energy.

If you are still having trouble getting interest at your company look at the following to analyze why:

• Are you using the appropriate sales process for your industry and product?
• Do you understand your potential customers well enough?
• Is your culture conducive to good sales performance?
• Are you even targeting the right prospects at the right times?

2. Price is the issue

Price is always AN issue.  But it is rarely THE issue.  Companies run marketing campaigns and specials trying to get in the door with customers.  Sales people offer discounts.  Sales professionals are uncomfortable with the costs of their products and services.  Sales professionals hear that their competitor has a better price.  What does that do on the street:

• Puts price into your customers head.
• Creates a lack of confidence in the sales representative’s head.

If you want to beat the price argument you must do 5 things:

• Sell the value and ROI of your products and services.
• Learn to deliver pricing more confidently.
• Connect your sales and marketing efforts
• Ask more questions about what the client wants to accomplish
• Demonstrate credibility and sincerity in the sales process

3. Manipulation is part of the sales process

Sales has a bad rap.  People view sales people as pushy, self centered, and egotistical.  Don’t get me wrong many sales people have earned these labels.  But the very best have risen above them.  Customers typically start relationships with sales people in a defensive mode until they feel comfortable with the sales professional.  Customers start from this place because of their experiences with previous sales people.  Unfortunately organizations sometimes support manipulative behaviors or insincerity or at the very least condone these behaviors.  I use to know a sales person that would say “Once you can fake sincerity you have got it made.”  He was successful for a period of time, but customers figured him out.  We need to create authentic relationships with our customers based on mutual respect for 2 reasons:

• Our word is really what we have to fall back on.
• The most successful sales professionals get out of their own way by focusing on the customer; the customer’s needs, and then responding to those needs.

Great sales people influence others, they do not manipulate them.

4. We are so different from our competition!

Vendors so often think they are different.  Sales teams get pumped up in meetings.  They are told about the superiority of their product or the value of their service.  These sales professionals bring that feeling of difference in with them to their face to face meetings and they believe they can out sell their competition.  They believe they can use their sales process to differentiate themselves.  The irony is…most of your customers don’t feel the same way.

In a recent study by the Management Development Corporation and the University of Michigan:

• 89% of vendors think they are able to distinguish themselves from their competition.
• 90% of the customers believe that each vendor’s sales approach is the identical.

It is clear organizations want to differentiate themselves, talk about differentiating themselves, but they rarely do in practice.

5. The most up to date sales training will change our numbers

What we need to do is train our people!  Yeah right.  (Written sarcastically)  The latest and greatest in sales training will do little to improve your performance.

People are creatures of habit.  They learn these habits along life’s way over the years.  2-3 days of intense training still won’t touch those habits especially if there is any fear, emotion, or ego wrapped up in the changing of a habit structure.  If you are serious.  If you truly want change.  Then think about:

• How to make performance more visible
• Increasing accountability for activity not just results
• Identifying the key strategies (maximum 3) that will drive the results you are looking for
• Putting a personal change process in place to help your sales reps shift their habits
• Measuring lead indicators in order provide regular feedback and coaching.
• Rewarding and recognizing reps for meeting activity requirements as well as results
• Coach, coach, coach.  And strategize on specific opportunities making it real.

To create real change in performance training is a small piece of a larger puzzle.  We must pay attention more to management and systems.

The Proven Way to Improve Your Sales teams Performance and Bottom Line Results.

We Have Simple to Implement systems That WILL MAKE your Sales TEAM Much More EFFECTIVE.

Contact Your Local MyProfile World Wide Licensee For the complete details of our Workshops and other TOOLS.

Master Licensee US & Canada
Bob Thomason
Phone: 870-234-8400
email: bob@myprofileworldwide.com

“Check With Your Local Agencies And See How You Can Best Tap Into This Great Recruitment Market For Your Business”

Don’t overlook the benefits of hiring disabled workers

Recruitment of disabled workers can boost an employer’s company brand, and provide an important source of talent when the employment market tightens, says Amy Cato, principal consultant at recruitment company Cato & Hall.

For recruitment companies, experience in recruiting workers with disability is increasingly becoming a requirement in preferred supplier tenders, Cato said, and can be a key factor in winning new business.

One in five people have a disability, she added, and a lot of them have very strong networks of family and friends.

“From a brand point of view it is well known who supports and discriminates in employing these candidates,” she said.

“Given that the economy will turn around and we could find ourselves in a candidate tight market again, leverage yourself and your clients to attract talent from this group in future,” Cato advised recruiters.

“People with disabilities are going to remember who looked after them in the bad times.”

Ask candidates what support they need, not what disability they have

Cato said people with disabilities are petrified of being discriminated against by recruitment agencies, and may not disclose a disability at the pre-screen stage.

“If a recruiter’s good, they will create an open environment that is supportive where the person wants to tell them that,” she said.

To avoid offence, she said recruiters should ask disabled workers questions around their behaviours rather than physicality.

“It is not for the recruiter to place judgement on whether they would be able to do a task, it our role to determine whether they are capable of meeting the client brief,” she said.

Cato said recruiters should ask candidates if there are any modifications or additional support they need at the worksite, rather than whether they have a disability.

Disabled workers provide many other benefits

Employees with disabilities often have better attendance and safety records, according to Disability Works Australia (DWA), a national body that provides free advice to employers considering recruiting disabled workers.

The retention rate of disabled workers is higher, says DWA, and their employment can have a positive effect on workplace morale.

Companies employing disabled workers also minimise their exposure to costly litigation, DWA argues. Since the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) penalties of up to $35 million have been issued to Australian Companies in disability discrimination cases.

Subsidies and advice available for employers

Recruiters are often reluctant to consider disabled workers because they believe their clients won’t pay full fee for them, Cato said.

But there are many different subsidies available for employers recruiting disabled workers, and employers should not feel like they have to do it alone, according to DWA chief executive Tina Zeleznik.

Here Are Some Ideas For You To Consider

1. Telemarketers
2. Data entry
3. Virtual Assistants
4. Licensees
5. Distributors
6. Online business owners
7. Recruiters for your business

Doing recruitment in-house, or expecting a discount, are the two objections all recruiters must know how to overcome when prospecting, says sales coach Axel Henriksen.

No recruiter should accept either objection without further conversation, she says.

Henriksen, the director of MMI Coaching, says it’s helpful to remember that people buy for one or more of five reasons:

1. in pursuit of pleasure;
2. to avoid pain;
3. to fulfill an emotional need;
4. to gain prestige; or
5. to save time, effort and money.

“In the face of any objection you should think about the client’s current plight and how you can help them in the context of their buying reasons”, he says.

“For instance if the client says to you, ‘We have to do all the recruitment ourselves as there’s no budget for recruitment fees’, you know they are taking on more work than usual due to the economy.”

“You can answer this objection based on the ‘avoidance of pain’ buying reason and say: ‘I can just imagine that your workload has increased due to the current company policy. I can send you some candidates as a comparison to your own so you can be sure that you have the absolute best shortlist in this market. I know you will only hire my candidate if they are the best for the position and it costs you nothing to look. If, however, you do hire my candidate a fee is payable.”

Manage discount requests

“The prevalence of fee undercutting and the state of the economy generally mean clients are now more likely to ask for a discount”, Henriksen says.

If a client asks for a reduced fee you know they are buying for the “save time, effort and money” reason.

“It’s best in any negotiation if you can ‘give something to get something’ so the relationship stays on an equal footing, but also so the client knows there is a good basis for your fee in the first place,” he says.

“If you too readily agree to reduce your fee, it’s very difficult for you to charge that fee later on. Plus, you want to keep some aces up your sleeve for potential preferred supplier agreements.”

“If you do agree to reduce your fee consider whether you can reduce your guarantee as well”, Henriksen says. “You can say: ‘Our fee comes with a 90-day guarantee so if we reduce it, your guarantee will be reduced also to 60 days (or 30 days). Guarantees are a bit like buying insurance. You may never need it, but if and when you do, you’re always happy you have it. So the decision is entirely up to you.’”

“This way”, Henriksen says, “the client gets to weigh up whether the ‘saving money’ buying reason is more important than ‘avoiding pain’ “.

“Another way to tackle the discount question is to offer your client a value-add that you can provide at no extra cost”, he suggests.

“Remember it’s best for you to have the money in the bank, so you might offer to do free skills testing for the client’s staff to establish a benchmark to hire the new person against. You could say: ‘Unfortunately I can’t reduce our fee but I can do skills testing for your staff at no cost whatsoever to you. This service is normally charged at $150 per person so for your eight staff members that’s a saving of $1200. This will help you to know exactly what each of your team members can do and how to enhance their skill set.’ ” *Find out how You can Get Our Tests at Minimal Costs*

“Here you are appealing to them on the first, fourth and fifth buying reasons. You can make them look good by giving them tools to be better at hiring and training their teams, which will also save them time, effort and money in the long term.”

“Whatever objection you are faced with, it’s best to think from the client’s point of view. Think about how you can service their needs, make their lives easier, save them time and money, make them look good, and help them avoid pitfalls rather than focus on making the sale. Once you focus completely on the client, the sale will naturally follow.”

You can subscribe to Henriksen’s step-by-step sales skills building newsletter by filling in the form below:

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Visit Ezifinda.com to see an example of these ads.  Refresh your browser (by pressing [F5]) or you can close your browser and come back to Ezifinda.com to see the ads change (pricing link ).  As I mentioned in the video, this is a very inexpensive and effective way to advertise your business.

The question comes up periodically “Do I have to have a web site to advertise like this?”  No, you can have just a banner with no link but the effectiveness of your ad dollars a greatly reduced.  You can even have something as simple as an email link with your ad, but, again, your effectiveness is still greatly diminished.

A web site is almost mandatory……..from the customers standpoint…….in today’s market.

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