Why Pursue More Business Connections in South Florida?

Connecting is for closers.  Whether you live in Dade, Broward, Palm Beach or some other South Florida county, the fact still remains, those who connect with new customers on a regular basis close more sales. If you don’t choose to connect with potential clients, you eventually choose to disconnect your sales performance.  But what do we mean when we use the word “connecting” as it relates to increasing sales performance?  In our context, connecting means to establish relevant communication with new customers. It means to be in direct contact with those whom you do not know on a regular basis.

Closing involves getting out of your comfort zone and being intentional about expanding your influence by growing your customer base.  When you deliberately and regularly connect with new customers, your opportunity for success can only lead in one direction, upwards.  If you don’t connect with new customers, you chose to disconnect from increasing your sales performance and influence within the business community. 

               Connecting means to establish relevant communication with new customers.

The word “relevant” is very important within this phrase.  Your communication strategy to connect with new customers must be exceptionally relevant.  If you’re trying to connect with new customers by sending out hundreds of faxes to a warehouse district in Hialeah, leaving flyers on windshields throughout the Coconut Grove, or standing on the corner of a busy intersection in Sunrise and waving a large banner, you’re in trouble.  That may work if you’re a local restaurant with daily lunch specials, but it won’t work with the customer you need to reach to make your business plan.  We need to reevaluate our approach and we need to do it quickly.

Customers are moving in a new direction and we need to make sure our pace and our methods keep up with where they’re headed and the tools they use to get there.  Customers have erected new platforms for conducting business, namely global platforms.

These global platforms are where they hire staff, look for business partners and interact with colleagues and vendors.  Over the next few blogs, we will analyze three platforms for effectively connecting with new customers: Contacts, Local Organizations and Technology.  Although each of these does not necessarily represent a global platform, their local relevance is worth noting for the purposes of our study. 

               Your communication strategy to connect must be exceptionally relevant.

You need to establish a different kind of direct contact when it comes to growing your business.  You need to explore a variety of environments where new customers can be found.  An environment where business to business exchange is promoted and encouraged is very important for direct contact to flourish.  To do this; however, you need to start by changing your present environment. 

                Effective networking environments produce effective sales results.

Why is this so important?  Why so much emphasis on new environments?  Simply put, effective networking environments produce strong sales results.  Since you need to spend your time within environments that stimulate new business opportunities, does it not make good sense to find some of the most effective environments for you to invest your time in? 

Whether you chose to connect with business professionals in the Doral, Miami Beach, Aventura, Miramar, Deerfield Beach or Pembroke Pines, make sure the environment and your approach is relevant to your customer.  Start finding more customers in South Florida by sharpening your approach.  Don't just sit back and expect business to come knocking at your door.  Go out and start expanding your contacts.  If you don't, your competition will be more than happy to do so. 

Good selling!

Marcel Sanchez
President
www.MotivationalSpeakingandTrainingSolutions.com
Marcel@MotivationalSpeakingSolutions.com
Marcel@SalesCatalyst.org   

The Qualities of a Good Sales Coach

                                         
                                        What are the Qualities of a Good Sales Coach?

Love, a Good Conversation and Hope. These three qualities remind me of my late friend, Selvin Dallas, who passed away on October 12, 2008. Selvin loved people. He enjoyed being in a crowd. It was obvious to everyone around him how much he truly cared about their well being, especially when it came to helping people grow their business, sell more effectively and maximize time spent with customers. Selvin genuinely and generously invested his time in others. He was never in a hurry when it came to sharing an encouraging word with someone in need. Selvin understood the importance of investing in others when it came to delivering effective and comprehensive sales training.

Selvin loved to talk. He valued a good conversation. Selvin understood the importance of connecting with new customers and finding customers through participating in a variety of social events. Selvin often filled the air with his hearty laughter. He was a master encourager. Selvin loved to develop new sales professionals and encourage them to push harder and stay the course. He demanded they close more sales and reached deep within the heart of their customer’s business to better understand their unique needs. He was relentless in his pursuit of strengthening and motivating others. I truly miss my dear friend. Selvin’s legacy reminds us to be relentless in our pursuit of strengthening and motivating others, even when it’s neither convenient nor popular to do so.

Selvin was not only a good friend, but highly skilled in finding customers and securing new business. He looked for customers in places where most of us would not even bother to spend our time or effort. Selvin was great at maximizing his contacts. When we worked side-by-side for a season, I remember watching my good friend in action. Often times we visited accounts together to leverage one another’s strengths. When it comes to improving your sales, there’s nothing like watching a more experienced professional in action.

Never underestimate the power of a good mentor. Moreover, never underestimate the power of personally getting involved in developing those around you. What good is it to be the best at what you do and never invest what you’ve learned into the life of a younger, less experienced professional? You were created to invest in others. Intentionally infuse in others what they need to succeed. When you don’t, others notice and it hurts your business. When you do, others notice and it strengthens your business.

Selvin was not afraid to ask his customers for new referrals nor was he timid in his demands for their business. He explored multiple opportunities to engage with new customers and genuinely cared about the success of their business. He was constantly involved in networking events, trade shows, community projects and sporting events to help increase his database of new contacts and potential business opportunities. He reminds us of a very important exhortation, “You have to want to sell, plan to sell and integrate your sales approach within the heart and mind of your customer’s business.”

Selvin spent considerable time with his customers and learned great insights as to where they were headed and why they were headed in a particular direction? He was able to give his customers an opportunity to dream about their potential as an organization while integrating his business solution within the core of their strategy. Remember the qualities of my good friend Selvin Dallas. You will need to practice these very same qualities to connect with new customers, stand out from your competitors and close more sales. As a sales leader, your ability to capture and integrate these same qualities into your existing sales methodology will help build your team and take them to the next level in their professional development.

Our Sales Catalyst Book Will Be Published Very Soon!

I can't wait to start helping business professionals and emerging entrepreneurs in Miramar, Pembroke Pines, Coral Springs, Fort Lauderdale, Kendall, Weston, Doral and other key cities throughout South Florida increase their sales.  Afterwards, we will promote this book through Amazon.com several Christian bookstores and a variety of business events both nationally and internationally.  This is exciting!  Here is a small excerpt from the Sales Catalyst book:

Are you an aspiring entrepreneur or a seasoned business professional?  Recently, have you been asking yourself, “How can I grow my business and reach more customers?”  Are you trying to increase sales and expand your influence within the business community?  Is your team frustrated with finding and closing new business opportunities?  Do you manage a group sales professionals who have lost their motivation to go out and do something “out of the box” to convert more sales?  Do you have a desire to organize your sales methodology in a way that reflects the strategic direction of your customer’s business?  If you answered, “Yes” to at least one of these questions, hope is not lost, you’ve just found it.  Sales Catalyst was written specifically to help you connect with new customers in a highly relevant way by developing an integrated approach to sales methodology.

Sales Catalyst was written to help you stand out from your competitors, connect with new customers and close more sales.  This book was written for men and women who need to sharpen their professional skills to close more sales.  Sales Catalyst is ideal for entrepreneurs, sales executives, business owners and professionals who are ready to take their sales performance to the next level. Sales Catalyst was written for those who are relentless in their pursuit of developing their skills with the goal of elevating their performance to a higher level. This book will help you:

• Find New Customers Today
• Maximizing Contacts, Technology and Local Organizations to Increase Sales
• Build a Foundation for Synchronized Growth with Your Customer
• Establish a Customer Focused Approach by Aligning With Vision and Strategy
• Position Yourself to Win
• Strategically Place Your Business Solution for Long-Term Success
• Leverage Obstacles and Cultivate Customer Needs
• Explore and Quantify Customer Obstacles and Needs
• Capture the Heart of Your Customer
• Demonstrate How Your Solution Can Strategically Advance Their Business
• Leverage Key Negotiation Principles to Maximize Profits
• Develop a Template to Consistently Deliver Strong Sales Performance
• Develop a Solid Implementation Plan to Maximize Opportunities
• Overcome Closing Obstacles
• Conquer Closing Obstacles and Sell at a Higher Price
• Seal the Deal
• Effectively Lead Your Customer to Make a Commitment

We are planning an official Press Release once the book becomes available in the second quarter of this year.

Sharpen Your Focus

 

As business professionals, why do we sometimes pursue more work than we can handle?  Why is it that we feel the need to be involved in so many activities when it is impossible for us to be directly involved in everything?  We know the danger of living life out of balance, but why do we yield to the temptation to overextend ourselves?  Do we fear that others won’t do things exactly as we would or is it simply the fear of “letting go” too soon.  The saying is true, “less is more.”  To increase productivity, you have to delegate responsibility.  You may ask, “So if I want to grow my business without overextending myself in the process, what do I need to do?”  There’s only one word for you to consider— FOCUS.

 

Future

Sharpening your focus involves having a clear vision for the future.  If you find yourself trapped and unable to look ahead, stop and dedicate time away from the office to reevaluate your priorities.  Make time to clarify the preferred destination of your business.  Fuzzy destinations don’t serve as a motivating factor for those around you.  Paint a clear picture of where you want your business to land and determine what needs to happen to arrive at your destination.     

 

Opportunity

Generally speaking, people are motivated by new opportunities.  Believe it or not, your star performer may already be a member of your organization.  Are you providing opportunities to find these team members?  Are you creating an environment for your people to grow?  If not, you may be bringing the growth of your organization to an unexpected stop.  Give your people opportunities to grow and accept new levels of responsibility.

 

Coach

Don’t just provide your people with a new opportunity; give them the right tools to be a success.  Make training a personal matter.  Model, teach, observe and coach.  Give your people the necessary authority and resources to get the job done well.  Remember, you’re directly responsible for those who serve under your leadership.  Your involvement in managerial activities will be dramatically reduced and the focus of your attention must shift to the most critical elements of your business and the most complex problems.   

 

Unify

As you decide to share the load of responsibility with your people, make sure they’re all headed in the same direction.  You must lead your people to work as one cohesive organization.  Create new values that speak to the importance of teamwork, cross-functional support and service excellence.  By unifying your new managers and supervisors, your ability to plan for growth and do what you love increases significantly. 

 

Share 

The more you share the greater your ability to sharpen your focus.  Hiding procedures and important information about your business from those under your leadership is not wise.  Your ability to sharpen your focus on what is truly significant will decrease.  Share everything you’ve learned with those who support your vision.  Don’t consider this radical transparency a threat.  Think of it as the key that unlocks the door to maximize your potential for growth. 

Sales Catalyst Workshop