Some people are surprised to find out that closing is only the fourth step in the sales process. There are two things that are important in closing the sale. Firstly, you need to be really clear on what you are offering. People must fully understand what your products or services are about. Secondly you must make it easy for people to buy from you. Now the reason that the step on closing is so far down the line, is that everything that you have done leading up to point is actually going to help you with your close. What do I mean by this?

What helps you to close the Sale?

You may have heard me talk about getting customers to respond to your offer. It helps to create consistency. I am a big fan of Robert Cialdinis book on Influence. In it he mentions the powerful influence that consistency has on people’s buying behaviour. When they respond in a certain way it is natural for them to continue to act according to that initial response.

So getting people to put their hands up to show interest in your offer as a first step is actually going to help you close the sale down the line. Your initial contact and your subsequent follow up’s are all parts of an interaction helps you to build a relationship with your clients. Each time you speak to prospects or send them a message you are feeding them more and more information about your product or service. In time they will know exactly what you offer and why it will benefit them.  So when the time comes for you to ask for the sale, it becomes an easy decision for them. They have all the information, they know all about you and there are few objections left to overcome.

Another way you can make things easy for your customers is to be able to accept credit card payments. Set this up so that you have a merchant account linked to your website that can process transactions online. This means that you don’t have to be there for sales to take place. They can happen automatically. An essential part of building an information empire is automation, having systems in place that can send out newsletters and responses without you getting involved. Think about it, if you had to remember to send out a message to a different client each day of the week, would you really get around to it, and would you send out the right message? Automating this process not only makes your life easier, it actually improves your conversion rate.

Tools for Closing the Sale

•    Get customers to respond to your offer and express their interest. When they initiate interest it increases the chances of them buying from you.

•    Interact with customers and build a relationship with them. People are far more likely to buy from people whom they like and trust.

•    Automate your sales process. Put systems in place that makes it easier for you to follow up with prospects and close the sale.

•    Set up a merchant account so that you can accept online credit card payments. This makes the purchasing decision much easier.

Many people think that closing the sale is the difficult part of business. But as I have just illustrated when you have strategies and systems in place, closing actually becomes very easy. Make clear offers to your prospects, give them a good understanding of the benefits of buying from you, and make it easy for them to purchase. These simple things can help you close many sales.

Bernadette Doyle offers a free online small business marketing resource where you can learn how to WIN lucrative contracts and turn your small business into a Corporate Client magnet!

Access free marketing tips here:   http://attractcorporateclients.com/

List and analyze your core competencies, then meet with a business partner, coach or mentor and work through the same process.

One of the reasons business owners find it so hard to implement systems in their business is that they don’t really know what’s contributing to the end results. Do you know what your core competencies are? Do you give yourself enough credit for what you bring to your business?  What are the things that you are doing in your business that you could replicate with a system?

Finding Core Competencies

One of the exercises I do in my workshops is to pair people up. I do this so that they can begin to discover what their core competencies are. Experience has taught me that you won’t know what to systemize unless you know what is contributing to the end results of your business. People often overlook everything that is involved and this is where it is helpful to get an outside perspective. You need someone to ask you the right questions so that you can pin point core competencies. You can also do this exercise with a personal coach or mentor.

Recently I worked with a client that wasn’t sure how to implement systems in her business. We were talking about the 80/20 principle. I asked her just how much information that she covered in a session was the same with every client. Was it possible that 80% was basically being repeated for every client and that only 20% of what she was doing was being tailored to the individual? When she had a closer look she realized that this was true. Taking that core competency we then started to look at ways to communicate that 80% of information to her clients without her physically having to be there. We settled on the idea that she should record a tele-seminar. This would have more than one benefit. She could invite clients to tune in live to the tele-seminar. But for those that couldn’t make the live seminar the recording would be available for download on her website. In this way her clients were still getting access to the information but there was less involvement on her side.

4 Steps for Finding Core Competencies:

#1 Reflection: Take some time to reflect on what you are doing in your business.  What actions or tasks are contributing to the end result?

#2 List & Analyze: Make a list of everything you do on a daily or weekly basis and then analyze this in terms of the end result.

#3 Get Perspective: Sit down with a business partner, coach or mentor and work through the same process.  Often an outside perspective will highlight things you haven’t thought of.

#4 Systemize and Automate: Once you have your list, try to think of ways in which you could systemize these core competencies.  Specifically be conscious of how you can automate processes so that there is less personal involvement on your part.

To create systems for your business you first need to understand what you are doing that is ultimately contributing to the end result. What is actually feeding your customers information and bringing in the sales? Once you know what these things are you can start to find ways to automate the process.

I’d love to share more about what it takes to Create A Successful Business That Works For YOUR Life, and makes a DIFFERENCE to others.   I’m running a FREE teleseminar series exactly on that topic.   Join me by registering here:   www.clientmagnets.com/successcalls
If you’re looking to sell to corporates, visit my new Corporate Clients Summit page – new articles with loads of free advice and tips: http://www.attractcorporateclients.com

Two business owners compete against one another in the same field.

Business Owner #1 has worked in his niche for 30 years; he has a massive list of contacts; his reputation is impeccable; his clients are among some of the most satisfied in the industry.  His expertise is unmatched.  Word of mouth has been a friend to his business, but his niche is very specialized, which means that his name doesn’t come up at many dinner parties.

Business Owner #2 is relatively new to the industry, also working in the same specialty niche.  She’s still in the process of building her contact list; her clients are largely satisfied, but the verbal buzz hasn’t elevated yet…she’s simply too new.

Which business owner do you think has realized the largest profit in the last 12 months?

Would you be surprised to learn that it’s Business Owner #2?

How could that be?

One word:  Marketing

Business Owner #2 invests whatever she can afford to lose in marketing campaigns, while Business Owner #1 simply can’t seem to get past the initial dollar amount of the marketing expenses, and so, simply doesn’t “get the word out”.

As a result, the first business remains steady, but stagnant.  The second soars.

Business Owner #2 possesses a Millionaire Mindset. Here’s what’s going on inside her head:

•    Marketing is an investment.  Even if one campaign costs $4,000 (which is a significant amount of money for her fledging business), she anticipates that just one resulting sale will pay for the ad.

•    She views the campaign as an investment in her most valuable commodity – herself.  Because she has completed the research and knows that there’s a noted demand for her product, she purchases each new ad with a faith that can only come from believing in herself and her business.  She thinks, I’m the best investment I’m ever going to make.

•    She never invests more than she can afford to lose.  Financially, she only invests what her business can survive without.  Emotionally, she only invests what she can lose and still hold on to a sense of hindsight without depression.

•    She doesn’t ruminate over the dollar amount of each marketing endeavor.  Rather, she concentrates on its potential return.  She understands that she’ll realize direct returns, as well as future, residual ones.

•    She knows that she’ll never reach millionaire status by pinching pennies.

•    She understands that by pulling out her cash and throwing it against the wall of cash that has become frozen in this, a stagnant, economy, she’s multiplying her chances of getting a return.  Unless she spends money, the wall of cash will remain rigid, eliminating a large portion of potential profit.

•    Though it was difficult for her to accept the idea of investment versus cost in the beginning, she becomes more willing to spend money with each profitable marketing campaign.  Because of this realization, she has committed to educate her clients about the benefits of marketing, which will contribute to the stimulation of the economy.

Investment and return will never be a chicken and egg debate.  Without investment, there can be no return.  The return will never come first…in fact, it simply won’t come at all.

If you want to find your own millionaire mindset, you must separate yourself from the competition’s aversion to marketing and getting your name out there.

You could spend your disposable income on a new car, or a summer home, or a vacation.  Or…you could invest that cash in an marketing campaign…so you can afford all three.

I’d love to share more about what it takes to Create A Successful Business That Works For YOUR Life, and makes a DIFFERENCE to others.   I’m running a FREE teleseminar series exactly on that topic.   Join me by registering here:   www.clientmagnets.com/successcalls

FREE Preview Training Calls!

Call #2
Wednesday 7 September, 2011 8pm UK Time
with Bernadette Doyle of Client Magnets

Join us by calling direct or listening in on your computer

Why do some people own businesses that really take off while others just chug along despite all their hard work? What is the difference that makes the difference? I call it, “The X-Factor”.

Between the 7-figure masterminds I participate in, through to hanging out with multi-millionaires –including Richard Branson – on Necker Island, I’ve concluded that the “X-Factor” is the common denominator for people who are really achieving BIG success. But you don’t have to wait until you’re a millionaire to discover this secret – I’ll be sharing it on this call!

You don’t have to wait until you’re a millionaire to discover this secret – I’ll be sharing it on this call!

I’ve already been getting rave reviews about this special free teleseminar series.  If you haven’t registered already:   Be sure sign up for Call 2:  http://www.clientmagnets.com/successcalls/

In this FREE teleseminar series I’m going to show you how to create a successful business that works for YOUR lifestyle, makes a big difference in the world and rewards you handsomely too.

Even if you can’t make the calls, I urge you to register because you’ll get the details of all the other content-packed calls, plus how to access the recordings.

Additional calls offered:
CALL 1: Life, Contribution, Profit: How to design a business that works with YOUR life, makes a BIG difference and BIG PROFITS too!

CALL 3: How They Did It: Real-life success stories

CALL 4: ‘What’s stopping you?’ – Blasting through every obstacle

CALL 5: The Hidden Pitfalls that Can Sabotage Your Success

Read all about them here: http://www.clientmagnets.com/successcalls/

Imagine the following scenario. It’s Wednesday afternoon. You and a friend are having lunch at your favourite restaurant. After lunch you might go for a stroll, visit a local attraction, or just go home and read. It doesn’t matter which. Your phone and email are switched off, work is the farthest thing from your mind, and you’re committed to nothing more than simply relaxing. You return to the office the next morning, guilt-free and feeling rather energetic.

This is what Strategic Coach Dan Sullivan describes as a Free Day, a 24-hour period completely free from work-related problem-solving, communication, and action.

It’s not so easy to imagine, is it? For most business owners, the whole notion of free time, particularly midweek, is nothing less than far-fetched. How can you possibly take free time when there’s so much work to be done, money to make, commitments to be kept?

Most people think of Free Days as a reward for hard work. I don’t. Now I see Free Days as an essential precondition for achieving success and optimum productivity. The key to free days is recognizing that it means booking time to rejuvenate before — not after — your productive periods. Several years ago I started to notice that many of the successful business owners I admired talked about the importance of ‘downtime’ and blocking out periods of time where they did absolutely nothing.

Because I was interested in replicating their results, I paid attention and started to wonder how I could incorporate ‘free days’ into my own schedule. It wasn’t easy at first. On any given day, most business owners would consider themselves extraordinarily lucky (or seriously pressured) to be able to squeeze in a bit of free time, let alone a whole day. It happens only IF they can first get “a few things” done, IF there are no unexpected crises, and IF they can just clean up a few “little messes” around the office. Not surprisingly, this seldom, if ever, happens.

But if you want to improve the quality of both your work and personal life, you need ‘Free Days’. So how can you incorporate free days into YOUR schedule?

Right now, most of us figure out how much time we need to work and make money. Then, if there’s anything left over, we devote it to free time. But this concept doesn’t work for time any more than it works for money.

Successful savers know that you have to work out what you want to save, take it off the top of your income, and live on the rest. If you don’t, you’ll get to the end of the month and find there is nothing left. Free time is just like savings: it has to come off the top. So you need to plan your Free Days first, and then work everything else around them.

It won’t come easy at first. You’re not used to it. Like anything else, Free Days take time and practice. But it gets easier when you see free days as a necessity, rather than a luxury. When you’re running a business YOU are the most important asset. In the words of Coachville founder Thomas Leonard ‘Without you, there is nothing.’ So you need to make taking time out for relaxation, rejuvenation and what Stephen Covey calls ‘sharpening the saw’ a priority.

How should you use a Free Day? Well that all depends upon YOU. Some people are rejuvenated by engaging in highly energetic activities. They need to be out and about, on the go all the time. Others (like me) are just the opposite. They just want to relax, curl up with a book, listen to music, get a massage, lie on a beach, or have a good conversation. Whatever you choose, your Free Day should allow you to be in a different world, away from responsibilities, concerns, worries, and goals.

Start NOW. Don’t let this be a ‘good idea’ that you’ll get around to ‘when you have time’. Take out your calendar and mark out your next ‘free day’. Keep it sacred! If a whole day seems like too much to start with, then start with an afternoon. I promise that when you make a habit of ‘free days’ and you notice your creativity and productivity soar as a result, you’ll be hooked. So start TODAY.

Want to know how To Create A Successful Business That Works For YOUR Life, Makes A BIG Difference And BIG Profits Too’?   Register for my FREE Training Calls …  http://www.clientmagnets.com/successcalls/

It's your choice -- give yourself permission to turn the corner and head towards success.

My turning point came to me months into striking out on my own.  I had proposals out, making the rounds, I was choosing between putting petrol in the car and buying groceries and I had no money coming in.  My family was starting to question the decision I had made to strike out on my own.  I tried to be Miss Positive and had a few quotes from positive thinking literature waiting in the wings for a response to their questions.

At that point, I had nothing to lose.  It was ‘do or die’ and I planned on doing.  But I had to change my ways, I had to take stock of the situation.  I decided I was just no longer going to tolerate nor suffer the typical things that weren’t working for me.  At that point, I had to give myself permission to dismiss much of the advice that had been given to me to establish my business.  It just wasn’t working for me.

Now you may think your traditional sales experience is just what’s needed for your business, but I’m here to tell you that it’s not.  What’s worked in the past when you had a salary coming in is not what’s going to work for you once you’ve struck out on your own.

Now, I had to hit pretty close to rock bottom to see this.  I had to actually tell myself that it’s okay to throw out what was not working for me.  What I need to stress to you is that you do NOT have to reach rock bottom to get to this point.  Take stock of your situation now and give yourself permission to make the changes that are going to make your business successful.

Some questions that you should ask yourself at this point are:

•       What am I doing that’s working to bring money in?

•       What am I doing that’s not working to bring money in?

•       What can I do to reach more people at once?

What I did was I ditched the traditional selling, the one-to-one marketing methods that weren’t working for me and I pieced together a whole new marketing and selling system.  But, it didn’t happen overnight.  There’s no miracle cure being offered.  Things will change quickly, but it won’t be overnight.

So what I’m telling you is to give yourself permission to make the changes that are going to make your business successful. Be prepared to throw out the old methods and bring in the new.  You don’t have to hit rock bottom to do this.  This isn’t a one-time super-duper effort that offers immediate transformation.  But through a series of steps and manoeuvrings, you will see results quickly and you will see improvement straightaway.

Just don’t wait until you hit rock bottom to start!

Want to know how To Create A Successful Business That Works For YOUR Life, Makes A BIG Difference And BIG Profits Too’?   Register for my FREE Training Calls …  http://www.clientmagnets.com/successcalls/

FREE Preview Training Calls!

 

Call #1
Wednesday 17 August, 2011 – 8pm UK Time
with Bernadette Doyle of Client Magnets

Join us by calling direct or listening in on your computer

Have you been wishing for a magic ingredient that will catapult your business to the next level?

Well, I’m thrilled to announce, that after EXTENSIVE personal research, I’VE GOT IT!!!

In this FREE teleseminar series I’m going to show you how to create a successful business that works for YOUR lifestyle, makes a big difference in the world and rewards you handsomely too ?

These calls are a preview for my Life, Contribution, Profit event which is coming up in January 2012 (already over 20% sold out!)

The buzz is starting – make sure you are part of this. Get all the details here:
http://www.clientmagnets.com/successcalls/

Through these calls I’m going to be showing you the incredible growth that is possible when you set up your business so that it works with YOUR LIFE and makes a BIG DIFFERENCE to others. Get those two in place and the profits flow naturally.

Even if you can’t make the calls, I urge you to register because you’ll get the details of all the other content-packed calls, plus how to access the recordings.

So make sure to register right now

http://www.clientmagnets.com/successcalls/

Additional calls offered:
CALL 2: The X-factor – the secret ingredient to success beyond your wildest dreams…

CALL 3: How They Did It: Real-life success stories

CALL 4: ‘What’s stopping you?’ – Blasting through every obstacle

CALL 5: The Hidden Pitfalls that Can Sabotage Your Success

Read all about them here: http://www.clientmagnets.com/successcalls/

Are you someone that likes to work solo? I’m guessing you said yes to that question. Let’s face it, most business owners are independent type of people that like to do things themselves. That way they know that the quality being delivered is consistent and that the job is being done. The problem with that is as one person you have a limited capacity. How big are your dreams? Most often they will extend beyond your capacity which means that you need to bring a team on board to help you. How do you make that transition from working on your own to working with a team?

There’s more than One Way to Build a Team

Most independent entrepreneurs are wary about bringing additional people on board. In the traditional sense there are added salaries, office space and equipment to be considered. Then there is also the task of finding the right people, employing and training them up and managing them. From that perspective it is easy to see why most individual business owners try stay away from working with a team. It simply adds too many complications to the business process.

However, thanks to advances in technology you do not need to take on all of these things in order to create a team for your business. I have a business team of eight people that are an important part of my growth, yet none of them work for me full time in my office. Instead they are all functioning in a virtual environment and work for me part-time on a free lance basis. This works really well because I do not have the hassle of drawing up employment contracts and trying to keep staff motivated.  Each one of my team has an independent business and they provide their services to me as and when I need them. This results in a great amount of flexibility and improves the efficiency of my business. I am never carrying dead weight in my business. Each task and function that is carried out is specific and over a set period of time.  Being able to work with a team like this can really help you to grow your business.  There are a few new skills that you need to learn in terms of delegating and working with other people but the results are just amazing. A team can help you quickly ramp up your business and get you operating at the level you want to be at.

Tips for Choosing Team Players

•    Think of tasks that take a lot of your time that you may be able to delegate to other skilled people. Things like administration, writing, or planning seminars.

•    Look at the area where you provide the most valuable input to your business. That is what you want to spend most of your time doing. The rest you can start to delegate.

•    Look for people that are operating independent businesses in a virtual environment. Creating a team with these types of people helps you to keep your costs down.

•    Start out with just one person who can take care of some of the admin for you. Then as you get more comfortable with sharing responsibility you can gradually bring more people on board.

Having an efficient team is one way in which you can speed up the growth of your business. Because you are not trying to do everything yourself you have more time to focus on what you are really good at. This could be dealing directly with clients, managing the operations or giving workshops, courses and seminars. A great team can be a valuable asset to your business and can help fast track you to achieving your goals.

Bernadette Doyle specializes in helping entrepreneurs attract a steady stream of ideal clients. If you want to get clients calling you instead of you calling them, sign up at http://www.clientmagnets.com

Here’s a question for you to think about: Do you run your business or does it run you?  Most people start out with a business idea thinking that when it’s successful they will have more time and money to do what they want, yet that is seldom the reality. Too many business owners get bogged down in the day to day running of their businesses and end up working ridiculous hours just to keep it afloat. If you are smiling and nodding your head in agreement perhaps it is time that you sat down and re-evaluated your business strategies and your personal goals. Maybe it’s time for you to get back in the driving seat and for you to run your business rather than the other way around.

Two Important Components of Successful Goal Setting

#1 Revenue goals form the backbone of your business strategy. They create a target for you to work towards and help you define budgets when implementing tactics to reach your goals. It is one of the first questions that I ask my clients: “What are your revenue goals for the next 12 months?” It is important that the figure you set is something that is tangible and achievable. Don’t imagine that you want to be a millionaire and that it will just magically happen on its own. Your revenue goals need to be a target that you think is possible.

#2 Lifestyle goals relate to what you personally want from the business or your working career. This could be something like you want to only work a three day week, or you want to travel less and spend more time at home with your family. Now most people will sacrifice their lifestyle goals because they think that their business will suffer if they try to implement them. Yes, there may be a transition period where you earn a little less and have to implement the necessary changes, but most often when you implement lifestyle and revenue goals together you come out with a win-win solution. In my case I chose to relocate, move more of my business online and the results really paid off. Even though the transition was not without its challenges, I found I was more focused on my work efforts during your work hours and more motivated generally because I could see I was moving towards my lifestyle goals at the same time.

Things to remember when setting Goals

•    Quantify your goals. Put a figure to your revenue goals and clearly define what you want from your lifestyle goals. Don’t make it dreamlike, be realistic about what is possible to achieve. Also define your goals within a specific time frame.

•    Your goals should be tangible and achievable but at the same time you should look at all possibilities if it is something that you really want. When you define your goals you should already have some idea as to how you plan to achieve them.

•    Be willing to put in the effort to achieve your goals. Don’t just set strategies and expect them to materialize on their own.

•    Break your goals down into bite-sized chunks so that you can start implementing tactics to reach them.  Make sure each step you take consistently moves you closer to achieving your goals.

•    Your goals should be personally rewarding and meaningful as this will motivate you to work towards them. When setting your goals keep in mind the link and balance between revenue goals and lifestyle goals.

Setting goals is a way of defining your business and lifestyle strategy. They are absolutely essential if you want to feel fulfilled in your working career. Goals provide a meaningful framework in which you can implement short term tactics.  They also help you to stay on track and keep you motivated though the tough times. Having goals provides you will a big picture to work towards and ensures you are consistently moving in the direction you want your life to go.

Bernadette Doyle specializes in helping entrepreneurs attract a steady stream of ideal clients. If you want to get clients calling you instead of you calling them, sign up at http://www.clientmagnets.com

Social media is a fantastic way to promote events, your business, your services or anything that might be relevant to your followers. You can use social media to help promote existing events, plan new events or as a supplement for other methods of promotion. With the right techniques, you can spread the word quickly via social media and reach far more people than you would with traditional promotion techniques.

Using Social Media as a Supplement to Other Advertising Avenues
Social media works great as an advertising technique by itself, or as a supplement to other advertising avenues. When you use social media, you can instantly reach out to hundreds, thousands or tens of thousands of people via instant social media “lists.” This enables you to reach users via various social networking techniques, but it doesn’t capture people who don’t use social media.

Social media promotion works best in conjunction with other advertising avenues. Social media is a great follow-up to an email list or physical mailing. In this way, using a multi-faceted approach, you can reach the maximum number of people via their preferred avenues. This enables you to reach out to people who use email but not social media, or people who will follow you via social media but are uncomfortable distributing their email addresses.

Rules for Promoting via Social Media
Promoting via social media is generally acceptable, but you should follow a few general etiquette rules when you promote. Don’t promote constantly, and spam your followers with nothing but promotions. You need to provide value in your social media updates to your followers, and if your use of social media is entirely self-serving, you’ll lose followers who see through your techniques.

Mix your promotions with useful information and other updates to avoid overwhelming your social media contacts. For example, you might want to promote calls no more than 10 percent of the time when you’re using social media, and make sure you’re contributing to conversations and providing useful information the rest of the time.

When you do promote, avoid doing it in a self-serving manner.  Find ways to work your promotion into conversation, and it will seem less self-serving and can actually help convey your personality to your followers.

Send Great Quotes to Twitter
One great technique for promotion is to Tweet great quotes. If you have a fantastic quote from an event or a call, Tweet it to your followers. If the people on your list like the quote, they will re-Tweet it to their followers. You could reach hundreds or thousands of people who aren’t on your call if you send great quotes to Twitter, and your followers re-Tweet them.

Social media is a great promotion tool, but if you use it poorly, it can actually harm your marketing efforts. Remember, social media promotion works best in conjunction with other tools, so you can capture the maximum possible audience for your events, products or services.  Confine your promotions to a small percentage of your social media content, and avoid overwhelming your followers with self-serving promotion. Send great quotes to Twitter for your followers to re-Tweet, and you will grow interest about your product or business.

Bernadette Doyle is a marketing specialist who helps entrepreneurs become client magnets and attract a steady stream of their ideal clients. If you’d like to learn more about her amazing Mastermind group, click here: http://www.clientmagnets.com/marketingmastermind/

Register free to join her on her upcoming free Masterclass: http://www.clientmagnets.com/corporate/