you can’t touch…Kristin Rohan!!

I had the pleasure of attending SMCSYD – Social Media Club Sydney last night at UTS, with fellow #nscm ers. Kristin Rohan and Tony Cosentino.

The topic was Building and Managing Online Audiences and the special guest was MC Hammer, yes THE MC Hammer!!

Now I can be honest with you, my #nscm buddies, I went last night because I had heard the SMCSYD was a great event with quality speakers but I thought MC Hammer’s attendance was the token celebrity, with a major sponsor, not that he would contribute to the content and information on the evening!

Well shut my mouth and paint me purple !! I was so impressed by his knowledge and skill as well as being in fine form for a man over 40!!

I was a fan of MC Hammer 1.0 but I am inspired by MC Hammer 3.0!!

This man lives and breathes what he is talking about, he adds value to any converstation.

He spoke of being authentic, engaging and being the centre of your information universe & more!

Unlike other visiting celebs, he didn’t take himself seriously and had a laugh with the room about his past.  He even answered the following questions posed via Twitter feed (too chicken to say in person??) and via mic:

• “What can and can’t you touch?”
• Do you feel and tweet differently when you are wearing your Hammer pants?

On a serious side he answered questions about future apps, technology he uses (yes he IS a little geeky), how does Social Media handle the challenges of the poor and language translation, what does he see as the future of social media and will it change the world.

I liked his answer to the question:

Q: “Your star shone very brightly for a short time, do u think if social media had been around, your career would have been different?” (this is from memory not transcribed)

A: “I wouldn’t wanted anything to be different! I love the journey I have been on.  If things have gone differnetly, I would not be speaking to you now”  He added, he believes in the Butterfly Effect – if one thing had been different this would then affect many more outcomes.  I loved it!! He is so REAL!

Our divine Kristin had tweeted Hammer directly (yes note I am now on second name terms with him!!) and made him a gorgeous gift of vintage fabric envelope with a gorgeous card inside finished with a choc satin ribbon, and got to give it to him and even got a hug!!

He was so divine, even telling off Rob Rohan (Mr Krisitn Rohan to us) for taking her out of the USA!!

Sorry, Rob, Tony and I missed the hug shot as we were watching it live!!)

Kristin is one of my heroes!!

Another hero of mine is Tony Cosentino – despite this tweet during the event:

Here it is incase your eyesight is like mine:

Tony has been the only reason I have not picked up WordPress and the Ecommerce plug-in and submerged it in a bath!

He is a professional, honest business man with a lot of integrity with an AMAZING previous career.

He is a great encouragement and a fabulous coach.  More importantly he is very generous and a wonderful man!

A new hero of mine is David Peachey.  A footballer who played here then overseas and is now with the Rabitos (please be inpressed that I can recount this, sport like techie things are not my strengths!!!)

David started the David Peachey Foundation in 2004 with the goals:

• Providing educational scholarships & overseas exchange opportunities for school students.
• Allocating sporting grants to talented indigenous youth.
• Engaging in the ongoing reconcilliation process & personal development of indiginous youth through mentoring & cultural immersion camps.
• Delivering education, health & sports programs in regional & remote indigenous communities throughout Australia.

Thanks to Tony’s iniitative of speaking to David about #pianostairssyd (more on this soon), I got to speak to David one on one.  So inspiring!! He is actually being the change he wants to see in the world!

David’s focus is on education not sport, he proudly told me that only 2 of the kids play footy! 2 new recipients are doing medicine at Sydney Uni…fantastic. 

David is giving hope to the children and communiities where there was none – what an amazing legacy!

I enourage you all to visit the site and learn about the foundation. 

http://davidpeachey.org/

Keep an eye out for the next SMCSYD! It is a great event and although I did not meet so many of the attendees last night there is a great assortment of people.

All I can say is that the connections I have made via Social Media (Kristin & Tony amongst them) have definitley enriched my life and business and I look forward to more adventures, experiences and stories!!

J

@NancyGeorges

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Social Media 101 – the final chapter

Have you read Social Media 101 – Part 1, 2, 3 & 4?
This post will make more sense if you have. 
1. http://magnoliasolutions.wordpress.com/2009/10/12/social-media-101-part-1/
2. http://magnoliasolutions.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/social-media-101-part-2/
3. http://magnoliasolutions.wordpress.com/2009/10/14/social-media-101-part-3
4. http://magnoliasolutions.wordpress.com/2009/10/21/social-media-101-part-4/

I thought I would show you a real life example; my own Magnolia Solution pages to help tie all of the information above together.  

Magnolia Solutions’ Facebook page: I use this page to drive traffic to the blog using the Facebook network.  

 

a. Status Line

b. Tabs with more information / interaction options

c. Blurb about the company

d. Past Status Entries / Posts

e. Visitors can interact with each entry by leaving a comment, showing their interest by clicking ‘like’ or sharing it on their page

Nancy Georges’ Twitter page; I use this page to promote Magnolia Solutions as the owner of the business as well as promote the blog and posts on Facebook.

 

a. Personalise the background

b. My Location

c. Link to blog

d. Number of people I am following

e. Number of people following me

f. Latest Tweet

g. Thumbnails of people I am following

h. Past Tweets and conversation with others on Twitter

Magnolia Solutions’ Blog; Use this page to promote Magnolia Solutions, infact I have created the websit here.  It contains Twitter and Facebook feeds & links:

 

a. Blog title – say who you are and what you do

b. Bit about the Author (me)

c. Latest Blog Post

d. Visitors can sign up to follow

e. Can’t see: Twitter feeds, Facebook status updates, People following, Fav Links

The new emerging media and demand has generated a new product for Magnolia Solutions, one of our newest packages is a Social Media package.  We set up Twitter, Facebook & Blog accounts for our clients, with the objective of handing over the management of the sites to them at the end of 3 months.  It is my belief that it is important for store owners to take over this communication themselves, as they ultimately are the ones with the relationship with the customer. Social Media takes a bit of understanding and getting used to.  

There are many dismissive comments made about it in the traditional media and amongst Gen X and older.  However, to ignore it, or worse to dismiss it, will mean that you will miss opportunities for your business that your competitors will take advantage of.  While I am writing this I am very aware that only 34% of Australian retail businesses have a website.  This is partly due to the lack of understanding of the benefit the business will gain as well as the cost of a traditional site. 

Social Media allows you to gently enter the online world in an engaging way and expand it in line with your Marketing Strategy. The Social Media Strategy must work in with the Marketing Strategy.  Your online presence must be backed up by the offline reality and vice-versa.  Don’t forget your customers now have a voice that is louder and stretches further than ever before.  To benefit from an increased profile and closer communication with your customers; ensure that their experience with your business is positive.

Please visit me on Twitter, Facebook and Blog, follow and have a look around, send me any questions, leave comments or suggestions – always welcome!

Useful Websites:  

• My Space        www.myspace.com
• Facebook         www.facebook.com
• Twitter:           www.twitter.com
• Twibes:            www.twibes.com
• Twitpic:           www.twitpic.com
• Blogspot:         www.blogspot.com
• WordPress:      www.wordpress.com

If you would like to view the whole article as one please visit our Documents page  and click “Social Media 101

Social Media 101 – Part 4

Have you read Social Media 101 – Part 1, 2 & 3?
This post will make more sense if you have.
1. http://magnoliasolutions.wordpress.com/2009/10/12/social-media-101-part-1/
2. http://magnoliasolutions.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/social-media-101-part-2/
3.  http://magnoliasolutions.wordpress.com/2009/10/14/social-media-101-part-3

We have already covered: What is Social Media, networking sites My Space & Facebook and Twitter.

Blogs (short for Weblog) are the closest thing to a website of all the social media.  The user can choose the content and update it at will (within a choice set templates).  Blogs are usually more text and supported by images, audio or video.  They can be a simple page with things of interest; a business site where customers and owner interact and share information or a series of articles/stories with pictures, videos and links to other sites or blogs.  Like the other social media mentioned here, you can set a Blog up for free.  Create your own blog on: Google’s Blogspot (www.blogspot.com) or WordPress (www.wordpress.com), these are the most popular.  Each allow the user to customise the look and content of their page with tools to enhance your blog (called ‘widgets’ in blog speak).

Blogs are prolific at the moment.  Visitors are invited to ‘follow’ or subscribe to’ the Blog.  They are updated every time there is a new update, or ‘post’ in blog-speak.  There is the facility for visitors to leave comments and interact with the author of the blog as well as each other. 

Blog retail store application:

• you can create a blog for their store
• think of your Blog as your own magazine, newspaper or TV channel
• invite communication across a broad scope of people, including customers
• ensure the look and feel of the store is reflected in your blog (colours, style, design)
• link to website, Facebook, twitter
• provide store contact details
• post regularly, expanding on the things mentioned on Twitter and Facebook:
  such as: new stock in store, sale information, product information, funny short stories, nice customer interactions, website updates, loyalty program information etc
• upload pictures of your product lines and discuss them, providing information that will help with the buying decision
• invite customers to comment on posts
• ask questions and engage your customers
• provide information that will serve as post sale service (how to look after the item – additional uses etc)
• feature staff members (they will then link with their social media…..)
• add a calendar of in-store events to your page so customers know what is coming then review it and upload photos after the fact
• remember to promote your Blog instore on your information and on your website and other media
• link to associated blogs, as well as to customers and suppliers

Creating an account is easy on all of these sites; they are designed to encourage you to join.  Each have step-by-step instructions as well as comprehensive help pages.  If you get really stuck you can always ask your Twitter or Facebook community for help and advise!

The beauty of all these social media is that you can connect them so that an update on one updates the others.  By connecting Facebook and Twitter; every time you Tweet, it shows on Facebook, every time there is an update to your Facebook store page; it will show on twitter.  By adding the Facebook & Twitter ‘Widget’ to the Blog, visitors will see a ‘feed’ in a box on one side of the Blog that will show the last few Tweets and Facebook status updates.  They are also linked to each other so visitors can click from one to the other and still stay on your pages.  EASY!

All the sites mentioned here are free to use and have a great support network.  What could be easier!?

I have not really touched on the content of your communications in this article but it is important to say it must be interesting, engaging, relevant and original.  Any mistakes or exaggeration you make online, will spread quickly and harm your business irrefutably.

Social media does not necessarily replace your website, it is meant to compliment your website by driving more traffic to the site and increasing your online profile.

(By the way, this site was build on the WordPress blog!)

Social Media 101 – Part 3

Have you read Social Media 101 – Part 1 & Part 2? This post will make more sense if you have.
1. http://magnoliasolutions.wordpress.com/2009/10/12/social-media-101-part-1/
2. http://magnoliasolutions.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/social-media-101-part-2/

We have covered; What is Social Media and Networking sites MySpace & Facebook.

Twitter (www.twitter.com) is the social media of the moment, despite starting in 2006. Twitter asks users to answer “What are you doing right now?” in 140 characters or less. It is, in essence, a status update or a micro blog.

Like other social media sites, Twitter users are encouraged to connect and interact to build relationship and communications. ‘Twibes’, a wordplay on Tribes, are people with common interests. Connecting with members in your Twibe of interest ensures you get the most from your interactions and make better quality connections.

At the moment, on the Twibe site (www.twibes.com), there are:
o 21 ‘Retail’ Twibes
o 40 ‘Sales’ Twibes
o 19 ‘Customer’ Twibes
o 29 ‘Gift’ Twibes
o 35 ‘Shopping’ Twibes
o 40 ‘Shop’ Twibes

That is 184 Twibes that you as a Gift Retailer can interact with immediately. Once you find a Twibe you would like to join, you simply hit the button and enter your Twitter account and password (the first time only) and the information is automatically attached to your account.

It is important to make your ‘Tweets’ interesting and relevant.

Although Twitter is mainly text based you can upload photos to sites such as Twitpic (www.twitpic.com) and write a comment which will automatically update your Twitter status (too easy!). If you have more than one photo per topic then it is best to upload on your site, Facebook or blog and then Tweet about that via a link.

Twitter retail store application:

· Update Stock just in or on its way (create excitement)
· Communicate instore promotions
· Create ‘Spot Special’ excitement – clear stock that is not moving at what is normally a quiet time
· Interesting stories your have read online
· Interesting magazine articles
· Keep emphasising the thing that makes your store different
· Connect with complimentary businesses to promote your business
· Connect with suppliers, customers and other local businesses
· Connect with relevant Twibes

The Social Media landscape should be a little clearer for you now, next up: Blogging!

Social Media 101 – Part 2

Have you read Social Media 101 – Part 1? This post will make more sense if you have. http://magnoliasolutions.wordpress.com/2009/10/12/social-media-101-part-1/

To understand where we are now, let’s look back a few years.

My Space (www.myspace.com) was launched in 2003 and quickly became ‘the’ must-join site. It predominantly engaged and was used by Gen Y, artists and musicians. It was easy to dismiss as it did not have an obvious business application, even though it did launch many bands and artists worldwide. It connected them directly with their market and encouraged direct interaction. For the first time, people could have a ‘personal’ interaction with their favourite artists, as well as other people that spanned time zones, countries and demographics.
Social Media – Part 3. http://magnoliasolutions.blogspot.com/2009/10/social-media-101-part-3.html

My Space challenged Gen X and older. We did not share our personal information with perfect strangers! We were more private and did not see a place for this social site in our lives.

Facebook (www.facebook.com) quickly followed and was not as easy to dismiss or ignore. Initially, developed in 2004, as a ‘keep in touch’ tool for Harvard graduates, Facebook quickly spread around the world and across many generations. It allows users to have their own FREE mini-website and a voice. Users set up their page, invite people to connect with them and share information, photos, music and videos. It was the photo application that was quickly adopted by users and lead to Facebook’s incredibly rapid adoption among the not so tech-savvy public.

Facebook Applications were added to extend the interactions on the site. There are over 35 000 applications on the site, ranging from surveys, quizzes, petitions, fortune telling & real time chess! In addition to a personal page, Facebook allows business pages, blogging, advertising, creation of group and events. All of these tools/applications can be used to promote your business and develop a close relationship and interaction with current and new customers.

Pages can be public, so that anyone can view them, or private, where connections are made by invitation only. Generally, personal pages are private and people must request or be invited to connect. Business Pages and Events are generally open and can be followed at the click of a button.

Facebook users can post regular status updates, comment about information on friends’ pages or join a conversation on public interest pages. The choice is endless, the result is a closer immediate interaction. The beauty of Facebook is the ability to use images and text to make it more interesting.

Facebook retail store application:

· you can create a page for your store
· link to your website, blog, twitter
· provide store location & contact details
· update your status daily with: new stock in store, sale information, product information, funny short stories, nice customer interactions, website updates, loyalty program information etc
· upload pictures of your product lines
· invite customers to upload pictures with your products or experiences
· ask questions and engage your customers (Discussions tab)
· provide reviews / testimonials of past sales (Reviews tab)
· add a calendar of in-store events to your page so customers know what is coming then review it and upload photos after the fact
· remember to promote your Facebook page instore on your information and on your website and other media

Next, we’ll cover Twitter & Blogging….

Subsequent posts:
Social Media – Part 3. http://magnoliasolutions.wordpress.com/2009/10/14/social-media-101-part-3/

Social Media 101 – Part 1

The way we communicate, promote and brand our business has changed forever with the emergence of Social Media. The old rules are obsolete and now is the time to embrace the new media and take full advantage of the new communication age. In an increasingly competitive market, retailers need to stand out from the crowd and increase their profile online and offline.

Retailers have a great opportunity to connect with current customers and find new customers at a low cost without technical/programming skills.

Over the last few months I have fully immersed myself in Social Media, predominantly Facebook, Twitter & Blogging. The results have pleasantly surprised me! I knew that there was a strong online community but being a part of these conversations and building relationships has enriched my business and me personally.

I have received many queries and questions from retailers and thought this article was a great opportunity to at least introduce the concept, demystify the media and encourage innovative entrepreneurial retailers to get started (or seek help starting!). I have included theory and practical application to help you start creating your Social Media strategy.

Wikipedia defines Social Media as:

“Social media are media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. Social media supports the human need for social interaction, using Internet- and web-based technologies to transform broadcast media monologues (one to many) into social media dialogues (many to many). It supports the democratization of knowledge and information, transforming people from content consumers into content producers.”

The objective of a Social Media presence is to:
· establish your business as an authority in your field, be the ‘go-to’ store
· communicate with current customers
· reach out, find and connect with new customers who may be out of your local area (or country)
· create excitement about your brand
· increase your online profile and consumer awareness
· encourage regular contact with your market
· customise communications to suit different groups of customers

There is a lot to cover so I will break this article up over 4 posts…sit back, relax & enjoy…

Subsequent posts:
Social Media – Part 2. http://magnoliasolutions.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/social-media-101-part-2/
Social Media – Part 3. http://magnoliasolutions.wordpress.com/2009/10/14/social-media-101-part-3/

Nancy speaks to Prue MacSween on 2GB

I was chuffed to be asked to talk about my favourite topic: Customer Service with Prue MacSween on her Small Business program on 2GB, 873 AM, last night, 29 September 2009.

I have long been a fan of Prue’s, she is knowledgeable, funny, witty and is not afraid to raise a topic that should be discussed, even if it is unpopular.

There doesn’t seem to be a better person to lead the discussions for small business.

I will be blogging about the separate things we talked about over the next few blogs, so please tell me about your experiences GOOD & BAD.

In the meantime, enjoy listening to our discussion (about 6 minutes):

Prue’s show: http://www.2gb.com/index.php?option=com_homepage&id=29&Itemid=333

Small Business with Prue MacSween airs Monday – Thursday 7.00 – 8.00 pm on 2GB 873AM.

Magnolia Solutions

p: 02 9559 8870

e: info@magnoliasolutions.com.au

Customer Service is a lot like Dating

….at least the rules are the same!

The most important ingredient in the recipe for success is your customer – without the customer there is no retail business.  Consumers are getting savvier and are far more knowledgeable than ever before.  They are more demanding and have more choices now than ever before. 

Compare retail now and past, as close as 3 years ago, and you would be looking at a different industry.  In the past customers accepted bad customer service as the norm.  Today’s customer no longer accepts it, is vocal and can influence others, on and off line!

It is not enough to know who your customers are, you need to know what their needs are, what appeals to them, where they are and how to treat them.  You also need to recognise that not everybody that walks into your store is a customer and that you cannot be all things to all people.  So select and define your customer carefully.

The right customer profile will ensure that you buy the right product, have the right staff and communicate effectively, ensuring you will maximise the profitability of your business.

It is my belief that each business does not really sell the products on the shelf, it sells customer service and this is what sets one store apart from the others.  I have always viewed Customer Service as problem solving, customers come into your store with a need, sometimes they don’t know what this is, and it is your job to solve the problem or find something that meets the need.

Once you have defined your customer and their needs, then you can start to build a relationship with them.  By meeting their needs you will build trust and comfort with your customer, they feel good about shopping in your store, they know that you are the authority and they trust they are getting value when they shop in your store.

Defining what is good customer service is harder than it sounds.  It is not as simple as saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and smiling at them when they enter the store (although these are important too!). 

Customer Service is having what they want, when they want it.  Customer Service encompasses every element and aspect of your business that communicates how your store and your products meet the needs and wants of the customer.
It is great to build the relationship but you need to have the goods to back it up.
Exceptional Customer Service is going that extra step that the customer does not expect or experience with your competitors.  It must be constant and consistent. 
Exceptional Customer Service happens before, during and after the sale. 

In the current retail market, the competitive advantage of each business will be their customer service.  It is no longer enough to have just good customer service, you need to aspire to EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE in order to stand out.  Despite its importance to the business’ success, many retailers still get it wrong and have low standards.

Think of Exceptional Customer Service in the same way as DATING.
The attraction, the getting to know each other/ trust building and then the familiarity and comfort and lastly wanting to be around each other all the time! 
Excite & seduce your current, new and potential customers to ensure the relationship is established and grows.

In the past; people were looking for a mate to start a family with as per society’s norm and customer service was not a high priority of retailers or customers.  Now the expectations are vastly different; people are looking for a partner who satisfies a long list of needs and customers are demanding exceptional customer service.  Customers and daters are now looking for ‘The Total Package’.

Let’s look at the vital elements of exceptional customer service in comparison with dating:

• You want to attract your customer at first glance, you must put effort into your appearance and not just for the first meeting or date, you must always look your best
• You must be honest, polite and respectful, ALWAYS
• Make sure you have enough in common, otherwise your objectives will not be met and you will be wasting each others’ time
• Deliver what you promise and don’t promise what you can’t deliver!
• Be realistic,  don’t try and turn them into something they are not
• Use the approach and ‘language’ that suits the subject, you need to be adaptable
• Ask questions and LISTEN to the answers
• Learn all you can about them and use this in your communication with them, to make your interaction with them relevant
• Once you have identified their current needs, anticipate their future needs
• Use humour and creativity to build and maintain the relationship
• When you spend time together focus on them, don’t look over their shoulder at what else is happening
• Constantly communicate and keep up to date with each other, don’t lose touch
• Accept constructive criticism as a way of making the relationship stronger and maybe changing some of your bad habits!
• Thank them every chance you get – show them they are valued
• Recognise that sometimes you have to lose the battle to win the war. 
  There will be times when you have to apologise to a valued customer, even when you know you are right, for the long term on-going relationship.
• Encourage them to introduce you to their friends!
• Surprise them with your thoughtfulness
• As we know that if any of these things are not genuine and maintained the relationship will not last and you have to do it over and over again, till you get it right!!

When you achieve this level of Exceptional Customer Service, your customer will shop without resistance.  When you suggest an add-on product, they will see this as a valuable suggestion that will help them not a pushy sales person trying to make money.  This is where you want to be to achieve profitable sales. 

I used to manage the Manchester Department at Grace Bros.  We had our regular customers and my staff and I made it our business to remember what they had bought or what they liked.  If new stock came in that we thought they would like or a pattern they bought was going to be marked-down, we would call them (no email or sms then!) before it was put on the floor or the sale started.  We made them feel important/special and offered them value.  Over 50% of these conversations turned into a sale and over 50% of the sales resulted in other items being added to the purchase.

You want customers to become addicted to your great customer service and come back for more.  Each time they come back they reaffirm their decision to come into your store and feel better than the last time.  This repeat business is more profitable than the first sale. 

Acquiring new customers is expensive.  The cost of the first sale is more than double the cost of a returning customer.  To ensure you have a profitable business you need to maintain a high rate of returning/repeat business. 

Only 60% of satisfied customers do business with you again.  So you really need to be aiming at 100% satisfaction to ensure profitable repeat business.

Exceptional Customer Service is one aspect that needs to be maintained and innovated continually to ensure customers do not go elsewhere.  It is important to ensure that this is ongoing and evolving to encourage interest.  Remember, there is a fine line, do not get too familiar so as to make your customer uncomfortable..

Develop a strategy for potential, new and regular customers.  You need to do different things to entice and retain each type.  If your strategy and systems have been developed properly, this will happen automatically without effort.  We work with clients to analyse the business and develop a system and program to ensure the best results.

 

7 Powerful Ways to Boost Retail Profits

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Are you ready?

 

There are NEW RULES. 

A successful, profitable retail business requires skill, planning & strategy

 

Our latest White Paper outlines the things every retailer needs to focus on to ensure retail success and increased profitability.

 There are many elements to retail and only 7 of them will lead to a more profitable business

 

To receive your FREE report, valued $99.00,

7 Powerful Ways to Boost Retail Profits…..in any economic climate

 

email your contact details to:

info@magnoliasolutions.com.au

  

Prospecting 101 for SMEs

Although I mainly work with retailers, I sometimes work with SMEs (small to medium enterprise).

I have just written a sales program for a client and thought I would post parts of it over the next few weeks.

I have generalised it here for the sake of the blog and anonymity, but this should get you started:

1. The most important thing is to clearly define your customer; if you don’t know who they are you won’t know where to find them.
2. Define your competitive advantage and your features and benefits – this will help you communicate the benefit of customers buying from you.
   Always remember that you are solving a customer’s problem; the solution is to work with you as you are the best solution for them – problem solved.
   
3. Know where your competitors are and identify the gaps, in terms of location or product offer.
   If you think the same customer will benefit from your stock then approach them.
   If you think that there is a better customer near the one your competitor works with target them.
4. Know where your final customer shops (your customer’s customer) and target customers there.
   Read magazines, blogs and other media and make a prospect list from this.
   Always keep an eye out for prospects, be ever alert!
   
5. Do your homework online, on the phone and on foot! Ask questions, that will lead you to the prospects. When someone says no, try to find out why (without being rude or pushy) and try and avoid this in the next conversation!
6. Prepare a phone script – this will help you be comfortable and concise.
   
7. Don’t forget referrals. If you have a satisfied customer, ask them for a referral or suggestion of another customer. A happy customer will always want to help.
8. Keep up to date records of your prospects and where you are at with them. Don’t ring the same person with the same shpiel – the door will forever be shut to you.
   
9. Follow up when you say you will – if you can’t be relied on before they buy from you, they will not be encouraged in terms of the long term relationship.
10. When you approach them it must be in a way and language they are comfortable with. Always try and speak to someone before sending anything as this will ensure your letter/info gets opened (at least).
    Don’t bombard them with information if they are not familiar with you. Be patient and take it one step at a time.
    Email is cheap but it is not as effective as it once was. Have a hard copy to send as well as some people don’t have or like email.
    
11. The customer is always right – without them there is no business.
    Be polite, genuine and professional, don’t be familiar, flirty or sleazy.
    Listen to what they are saying and respond accordingly. If you don’t know the answer to something be honest and let them know you will find out and be back to them.
12. Do not take any comments, criticism or rejection personally.
    These are professional interactions.
    You don’t know how a prospect’s day is going, what their past experience has been, what their preferences are. You may remind them of someone horrible, they may have had a bad experience with a similar product or they could just be an apathetic business person without any foresight.
    Whatever it is, be professional and move on.
    Remember; No means NO!
    But maybe touch base again in 3- 6 months!

Happy Sales!