Sales Articles

Business » Sales | By Ramon Vela @ Wednesday, 3rd September 2008 @ 3:30 PM

Again and again, when speaking with my clients, they tell me that if they had more leads or their sales staff, it would solve their challenge or problem. If they only had more leads. Yes, leads are great. But I\'ve learned that that\'s not the problem they are really sharing with me. The real problem is that their sales folks are not doing proper follow-up on the leads they are getting. While there are plenty of VAR (Value-added reseller) companies that do not fall in... more...

Business » Sales | By Ramon Vela @ Friday, 29th August 2008 @ 5:35 PM

What is this coveted \"holy grail\"? Some describe it differently but it\'s the desire of a VAR, solution provider, systems integrator, or any other sales person to be viewed as their clients\' trusted advisor. I know that phrase is very over-used but let\'s focus on the actual meaning. If you don\'t like the term \"trusted advisor\" use one that works for you. What does it mean? Essentially, you want your client to trust your opinion and co... more...

Business » Sales | By Ramon Vela @ Monday, 25th August 2008 @ 9:41 PM

During a new project call, today, a client asked for my advice on which was better, telemarketing or email, for finding new prospects. My basic answer is that the telephone is overall more high-touch and more reliable. However, email, when done correctly can be effective. I didn\'t say *as* reliable or *as* effective but it can be a wonderful secondary form of air cover. So that begs the question -- what makes a successful email? At a high level, here are the six secre... more...

Business » Sales | By Ramon Vela @ Monday, 25th August 2008 @ 9:37 PM

While doing some research for one of our clients on a pay-per-click campaign, I was reminded of how important it was to have an effective landing page. A landing page or squeeze page (as it is also known as because it gathers info and squeezes prospects into a funnel) is the site that you direct people to from a Google text ad, email, or direct mail campaign. I see a lot of mistakes out there and they are too numerous to list here so I thought I\'d give you the top three elements tha... more...

Business » Sales | By Ramon Vela @ Sunday, 24th August 2008 @ 11:36 PM

I recently read an online article by Eric Chabrow on CIO Insight titled \"Computer Jobs Hit Record High\". While there can be negative news about employment readily available, I thought I\'d share with you some signs of a sector with strong economic numbers that might bode well for you and your sales. The article states \"unemployment among computer-related jobs hovers near historic lows as the U.S. information technology workforce tops 4 million for the first time.\&qu... more...

Business » Sales | By Ramon Vela @ Friday, 22nd August 2008 @ 6:08 PM

During good economic times it is important to know what your customer is thinking, however in uncertain economic times it is \"crucial\". As market conditions change, it is important to understand the following questions you can simply ask your customers. Being sure you are on top of your customer\'s concerns, by doing research, is a powerful information-gathering tool. These questions will help you understand how you need to change with the current market conditions.more...

Business » Sales | By Ramon Vela @ Thursday, 21st August 2008 @ 4:38 PM

When I started working in the technology industry in the late 80\'s to early 90\'s, I had a great sales manager who used to say, \"are your clients listening to radio WIIFM?\" At first I didn\'t quite fully understand what this meant. In fact, it took a few years for me to completely wrap my head around it. I paid attention to the concept most of the time but, as we all do, I tended to let my ego get in the way and started showing people how much I knew about a pr... more...

Business » Sales | By Victor Epand @ Thursday, 21st August 2008 @ 12:34 PM

Are you wondering what to do with your old watch? Does it still work, but you just don\'t need it anymore? If so, it might be a good idea to go ahead and sell your watch. Before you stick a price tag on it an go door to door to try an sell it, there are several things that you can consider. You must know how to prepare your watch for a sale, how to price it, and how to present it. Preparing Your Watch For Sale If you watch is broken, you may want to take it to a watch repair s... more...

Business » Sales | By Ramon Vela @ Wednesday, 20th August 2008 @ 7:07 PM

I was recently asked the question, \"Who Wins? Direct Mail or Email?\" by a student of mine. This was my answer -- and I want to share it with you: It all depends on your *list.* And, very importantly, how often you \"touch your list\". The better the list you have, the better the results you will get. I define a good list as one that contains customers and clients who you have marketed to several times at the very least. Of course accuracy is important, but updat... more...

Business » Sales | By Ramon Vela @ Wednesday, 20th August 2008 @ 2:42 PM

As part of our business we manage events for our clients. We do everything for them from event planning to event recruitment. Given this experience, I\'ve developed 3 simple guidelines for deciding \"if\" to put on an event. I am going to suspend, for now, the discussion of whether an event is a good idea or not. I will say this: I personally believe that if done correctly an event is a fantastic vehicle for generating leads and beginning/developing/nurturing new and exis... more...