The death of enewsletters?

No. No way.
 

In fact our own weekly enewsletter (thank you for reading this!) goes from strength to strength. That’s if your measurement criteria for a successful newsletter includes the number of those signing up to receive it, the numbers opening it, the numbers reading it – and the amount of favourable comments received.  
 

Oh and the number of enquiries we receive through it too.  

Yes, actual leads each week, even though we don’t promote anything within the newsletter (ok then maybe a teeny weeny bit at the bottom sometimes!)

So I remain convinced that a company newsletter could be a very powerful contributor to helping your company achieve its strategic goals.
 

Fundamental rules of newsletters
 

It’s got to be good! People aren’t reading as many newsletters as they were and there are lots to choose from so, depending on the sector you operate in, you may have a lot of competition vying for the attention of your customers and potential customers. So your newsletter content needs to be top notch. More later on this. 

Make sure the content is highly focussed on the needs of your readers. It must be interesting. And it must be useful too. So who are your readers? What are their needs? For example we have three different versions of this newsletter, the version you receive depends on your company type and your role within it. 
 

Make sure it can be read in 2 - 3 minutes. We’re all very busy these days! If your newsletter doesn’t look crisp and clean and easy to read, it won’t be read, it’s as simple as that.  
 

Give not sell. Yes you might include a discreet promotional link but the crucial overriding principle with a newsletter is that it's a giving platform. Be satisfied that when you're giving your reader handy information, you're indirectly promoting yourself anyway.  

Why you should produce a newsletter

1. It's a great way to keep in touch with previous customers so that they will also be your future customers. Maintain your relationship – keep the business.
2. For those contacts on your database that haven’t yet purchased from you a newsletter is a wonderful ongoing reminder of who you are and what you specialise in.
3. You build and maintain a relationship with those that read it, even with those you’ve never met. They become familiar with you and your offering - and when the time comes that they’re ready to buy, you’re well positioned to make the sale.
4. An excellent newsletter will help define you as an expert in your field. You build a reputation as the ‘go to’ people in your sector.
5. You get additional exposure you wouldn’t normally get. Even if your newsletter is not read, it will still appear in your contacts’ inboxes as a subject line and sender – and even that small amount of exposure helps keep you and your company in their minds.
6. It will generate enquiries for you – later if not sooner. 

What you should put in your newsletter  
 

The simple rule here is ...anything that you know your contacts might find useful. Our rule at The Sales Consultancy is simple. When we’re considering ideas of what to include in our newsletter the one question we have to answer with a YES is ... Will it increase the sales success of the readers if they implement our suggestions? 

But if you’re struggling for ideas, here’s an article I came across which has a fabulous check list of the type of content you should consider for your newsletter.
 

21Great Ideas For Your Next Company Newsletter  
 

So yes, based on our own experiences and results I remain a big fan of regular newsletters.  

What do you think?

 

Until next time...

 

Leigh

PS:2014...the year for you to Accelerate Your Sales?

 

 results@sales-consultancy.com

020 7903 5426  

www.sales-consultancy.com

Forprevious 'Tricks of the Trade' go here

2014, you...and your team

Many are wondering what 2014 is going to deliver for us. But instead of wondering, wouldn’t it be great to KNOW what’s coming?

In other words why not take control of your 2014? This week. In fact today would be a good day to start!.  

 

Below is a set of questions that will really get you thinking. Thinking about what you want from 2014. Thinking about the actions you need to take to achieve it.

  

I love this process and I hope you do too. Find yourself a quiet and inspiring place and get to work! Whether your aims are financial, personal, social or business, write them down.  

 

Get in touch if you want help with your goal setting...we're here to help.  

 

Goal Setting for 2014  

Well-defined goals are vital in all elements of business. The following process is one I use in business and personally. Work through the questions and remember that your initial response is normally the most useful.  

Here we go...Good Luck!  

 

What specifically do I want in 2014?

• Define the area of your life you wish to focus on
• For each area, state your 2014 goals in the positive (i.e. what you want, not what you don't want)
• Take each goal through the following questions 

The evidence

• What would be my evidence that I have achieved my goal?
• How would I know if I were getting my goal?
• What would I be doing to get it?
• What would I be seeing/hearing/feeling?
• What would be a demonstration of it?

The specifics

• Where do I want this goal?
• Where do I not want this goal?
• When do I want this goal?
• When do I not want this goal?
• With whom do I want this goal?
• With whom do I not want this goal?

The actions

• What resources can I activate to get this goal?
• What resources can I acquire to get this goal?
• What can I do?
• What can I continue doing?
• What do I need to stop doing?

The future

• What will happen if I get this goal?
• How will getting this goal affect other aspects of my life?
• How does getting this goal benefit me?
• What might I lose if it happens? 

These questions will really help you define your goals and give you the motivation and a framework to achieve them and your sales success.

Good luck with your 2014 goal setting.

 

Bear in mind research on goal setting which concludes that your goal setting will be more effective if you;

 

1) Take action immediately and often to achieve them (obvious but...)

2) Tell a supportive friend/colleague/mentor what those goals are

3) Regularly update this person on the progress to achieving your goals

Wishing you a happy, healthy and very successful 2014.

 

Until next time

 

Leigh

2014 - Introduce psychology into your selling Click HERE for details

results@sales-consultancy.com

020 7903 5426  

www.sales-consultancy.com

Forprevious 'Tricks of the Trade' go here

Have you got the "Happinesss Advantage"?‏

  I read more and more these days about how happiness boosts success at work. In sales some research suggests that happier people make 37% more sales!
I reckon there a few companies who would become very happy if they generated 37% more sales.

Except it doesn’t work that way round. It’s no good someone who sells saying “When I sell loads more widgets I’ll be happy” or “when I hit my sales target I’ll feel great”. You might get a mini high - but it will quickly fade!

It works like this  

To be great at selling, you need to generate a positive, happiness-based mindset first. Extra sales will then follow. Harvard calls this the “happiness advantage” – do you have it?

OK, you could now be thinking “show me to the happy store and I’ll (happily) go and buy some”. Well it’s not quite that simple. But neither is it that hard.
It’s about what YOU personally (and your team) can do to improve your/their happiness levels – and it’s about what your company can do too.  

Increasing your happiness...what can companies do?

If you work for a company, or you ARE the company, there’s a whole set of measures that should be present to increase the happiness levels of whoever does your selling.

The Gallop organisation, having conducted research over 30 years, identify these crucial factors (amongst others) that staff enjoy to make it a great company to work for...

• They know what is expected of them (apparently up to 70% of employees are not clear about what is expected of them)

• They are able to use their talents every day

• They receive recognition or praise for good work.

• They know that someone at work cares about them as a person

• They have the opportunity to learn and grow

• They work for a company whose mission makes them feel like their work is important

• They have their ideas listened to

 

No mention of pay – and notice how little these measures would cost to implement. And...ignore this list and good sales people will leave, or be chronically unhappy. Either way, sales suffer.

Increasing your happiness...what can you do?

On a personal level you can train your brain in much the same way as you exercise your other muscles. Even seasoned adults can develop new habits and ultimately rewire the brain. You can influence your personal, inner level of happiness via for example the habits you cultivate, how you interact, how you manage stress.

There’s lots of research on the importance of happiness, which is thankfully taking the debate from 'woo woo' land to making a serious contribution to corporate policy. I was particularly struck by research exercises conducted by Shawn Accor (Havard Business Review), who concluded that engaging in one brief positive exercise every day for as little as three weeks can have a lasting impact.

I repeat (and fully endorse) his “instructions” here...

Choose one of the following five activities...

1. Jot down three things you are grateful for
2. Write a positive message to someone in your social support network
3. Meditate at your desk for two minutes
4. Exercise for ten minutes
5. Take two minutes to describe in a journal the most meaningful experience of the last 24 hours

Perform your chosen activity every day for three week.

If you achieve the results Shawn Accor achieved with his group, you’ll become significantly happier – and stay that way for months after you stop doing the exercise (why stop anyway?)

And that’s by just doing ONE of those activities.

Try it - get your team to try it. You'll get more sales success!

The psychology of selling.
 

Until next time...

 

Leigh

SalesMistakes you MUST avoid?  

Get this complimentary download NOW or have the DVD posted to you. 

Clickthrough NOW 

results@sales-consultancy.com

020 7903 5426  

www.sales-consultancy.com  

Forprevious 'Tricks of the Trade' go here

"I don't believe I can sell"

That one sentiment that at best holds people back. At worst it can kill a business.

Even if some of your sales team are not saying this out loud, my experience is that several of them will be thinking it. 

I’d wager that if your company is not hitting its sales targets, at least 50% of the reason why will be because, whoever’s job it is to sell, they won’t believe that they can. And by carrying that belief around with them all day, it will directly affect their results.  
 

I know many who work full time in sales for large companies and who have significant inhibitions around selling. Deep down that dreaded inner voice casts doubt on their ability to succeed in sales. 

Join the club

So this week I just wanted to get it out there that you’re not alone! There’s a whole army of people out there whose job it is to sell, but when it comes to the crunch, they have severe doubts in their ability to prospect, canvass, generate rapport, overcome objections, cold call, close and so on.  

For anyone who has reservations about their ability to sell – be in no doubt, it will show in terms of performance and of course results. For example, if any of your team believe - either consciously or unconsciously - that “the customer doesn't really want to be bothered right now with information about my product", their  communication, either verbal or written, will definitely indicate this lack of confidence to your customers and prospects - and they won't buy.  

The wrong solution

So what do your team members think about themselves? What do they believe about their sales ability? What do they truly believe about the products they're selling?

When many people fall short at selling, the real reasons for this failure rarely get discovered. As a result, product knowledge training usually gets prescribed to remedy the problem. Or sales process training. Maybe presentation skills. Maybe team building. Leadership. Time management.

Look again. There are two main reasons why people do not reach their potential when selling. And inner limiting beliefs about their core ability to sell is one of them (I’ll save the other for another week!). 

There is a 'cure'

You can start by noticing where your team members incur the most resistance to selling. Some areas of selling they'll probably enjoy, some they'll detest. The ones they detest will usually be those that, when they think about it, they just don’t believe they are any good at.

Once you've analysed these behavioural trends, you can start to come up with an action plan to counter these limiting beliefs.

The one thing you can’t do is push this under the carpet. It won’t do your peace of mind any good – and it won’t do your company any good. The UK is about to blast its way out of an economic slump and you need to make sure everyone's on board the recovery train and not left at the station.

In short...you need a team of competent - and brilliantly confident sellers in 2014. 

Next action?

If you want to explore further, drop me a private email to results@sales-consultancy.com and I can send you some complimentary information to help you (too much to print here).

In the meantime if you’ve got five minutes to spare, watch a short video of me talking about limiting beliefs - here's the link

Yes...it's about the psychology of selling  

Until next time

 

Leigh

Complimentary DVD

Sales Mistakes your team MUST avoid!

Get the complimentary download NOW or have the DVD posted to you.  

results@sales-consultancy.com

020 7903 5426  

www.sales-consultancy.com  

For previous 'Tricks of the Trade' go here