Tips to Shorten Your Sales Cycle

1. Create a crisp, clear Value Proposition - Ask your clients: How do I provide value in what I do? Once you have the answer, refine your message, practice it, live it.

2. Talk to the RIGHT person - You MUST talk to the decision maker, this is usually at the top. Start at the TOP, you can always move down the ladder.

3. Uncover the Prospect's Needs - Stop talking at your client, start asking questions!

4. Gain Trust and Confidence in Your Company - Provide stories, testimonials, case studies and examples on how you have helped other companies.

5. Deal with Objections Early On - Objections can actually be HELPFUL to the buying process. Get to them quickly and act quickly.

6. Plan Each Conversation - "Plan your work, work your plan". Have a plan before each and every conversation with your prospects.

7. Advance the sale to the next step - Supply answers to questions, new information and a reason to have a discussion about how you will meet their needs.

8. Make it EASY for the prospect to buy - At the very least, have an entry level service or product available that makes it easy for the prospect to buy: a pilot program, free assessment, free trial offer.

9. Provide Value in your Marketing - Create and leverage value-based offers and experiences in your marketing efforts.

10. Be Persistent - 5 to 7 yes's for a close. Enough said, the squeaky wheel gets the grease!

Excerpt from Earn.com

Thought of the Day

The right people and the right motivation can solve most management problems. Often management is the process of trying to get the wrong people to perform for less than they are worth.

Thought of the Day

People matter–something that many people in management quickly forget!

Party Favors: Flower Pots and Seeds

Flower pots and seeds. Plant and flower seeds are the perfect party favor for a spring event. Seeds can be purchased from your local nursery for a reasonable price. Then, use glass baby food jars without the labels (or tiny planters sold for cheap at craft stores) to plant the seeds in potting soil for each guest. Tie ribbon around the rim of the jar and include a small, handwritten tag that states the name of the flower and care instructions. Try to vary seeds according to your guests: for those who live in apartments, pick something they can easily grow indoors. Give herb seeds to your foodie friends. Even better—if you’re a gardener, share seeds from your own perennials.

http://ow.ly/41YKk

Thought of the Day

People want their jobs to be important and fulfilling. Management has the ability to make a problem interesting or boring–often simply in the way the problem is framed and presented.

Human Resource Leadership Awards

The Human Resource Leadership Awards are the only independent awards that promote and advance excellence in the HR profession in the greater Washington D.C. area by:

Recognizing individuals and teams who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and strategic vision within the HR function. Providing scholarships to the HR leaders of the future.

Nominate someone you know: a direct report, colleague, boss, client, mentor or even yourself. The 2011 award categories are Ethics, Innovation, Leadership, Mentoring, Social Responsibility and Strategic Alignment. In addition, HRLA will recognize a group of Emerging Leaders and award scholarships. Nominations are due by March 4.

http://hrleadership.org/nominations%20OPEN%202011.html

Mangement Quote

If you pick the right people and give them the opportunity to spread their wings—and put compensation as a carrier behind it—you almost don’t have to manage them. ~ Jack Welch