Newsletter - 2009 12

Having found good prospects, developing them into those customers and keeping them is difficult. They are hard to cultivate and harvest unless you have a formal sales system.

Many bowling businesses have not developed a measurable, fleshed-out sales process that can identify a high-quality prospect and systematically move them through a sales process into becoming a paying customer. But any business that hopes for success in the future needs to establish a neww-business development system that is effective and repeatable.

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TECHNOLOGY

Ways to Get More Visitors to Your Website

Business owners are always looking for ways to promote their products.

One method is to ensure that the company website is getting hits.

Most Internet users rely on search engines like Google, Yahoo!, Bing, Ask.com and others to find sites on the web.

The following information may help ensure that search engines rank your site highly and show it prominently.

Search engines look for fresh, original content.

Ensure that your website is updated regularly - daily, if possible - and that the content is relevant and compelling.

Use keywords and key phrases that are recognized by search engines and people as related to your product or service.

Keywords should be concentrated on the page title, in section headings, and near the top and bottom of each page.

Use appropriate tags for boldface, capitalization and headings to start each page, section and subsection. However, don't saturate your site with too many keywords or overuse style features. This will be seen as gibberish by visitors and marked as spam by search engines.

Search engines look for internal links to articles, archives, blogs or other pages of your site as well as external links to outside sites or sources.

Complex codes like Flash or Ajax tend to slow down your site and prevent search engines from indexing it properly. A high code-to-text ratio will also slow down your site.

Use a style sheet to eliminate unnecessary markup code and reduce your document size significantly.

SALES

Tried-and-True Methods to Motivate Your Sales Team

Quick Quiz

Each month I’ll give you a new question.

Just reply to this email for the answer.

Oddly, Panama hats originated in what country?

Worth Reading

Selections from the best articles seen online this month.

The "Psychic Benefits" of Nonprofit Work Are Overrated

From Harvard Business

People often tell me that those who work for nonprofits should work for less because of the psychic benefits of being able to make a difference, work with the poor and so on. The notion is a red herring. And that's putting it kindly.

Fear of Apples

From Seth Godin's Blog

Whatever you sell, there are two big reasons people aren't buying it:

1. They don't know about it.

2. They're afraid of it.

If you can get over those two, then you get the chance to prove that they need it and it's a good value.

What Makes a Great Salesperson?

From Inc.com

Six entrepreneurs give their recipes for sales success.

The Six "Wow!" Features of Windows 7

From FastCompany.com

How Sam Moreau and his eclectic team of architects, industrial designers and writers created the "Wow!" features of Microsoft's new operating system.

BOOK REVIEW

Getting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got, by Jay Abraham

It's a sad but true fact that most businesses are not operating at full speed.

Indeed, many are just crawling along.

The thing is, it doesn't require revamping your entire business or launching new products or services to move your business from the slow lane to the autobahn. It just requires squeezing as much as you can out of your efforts.

In this book, Jay Abraham gives some solid, real-world ideas to make the most of your business.

Some tactics, such as selling your first product for breakeven and making a profit later, seem frightening.

But they work.

The good thing about this book is that it gives clear action steps in easy-to-understand language. That's a benefit that many business books don't offer.

Managing salespeople inevitably involves dealing with egos, emotions, idiosyncrasies and myriad problems. Here are some tried-and-true methods for managing and motivating your sales team for success:Motivate and Reward the Team Reward outstanding performance generously. In addition to money, give your top salespeople bonuses, incentives, perks and praise.

Foster a Spirit of Competition

A sense of competition among salespeople keeps them keen and prevents complacency from setting in.

Respect the Sales Role

Salespeople are fully aware of the vital role they play in the success of a business. Managers and others need to know and acknowledge this too.

Support Your Sales Team

Salespeople need plenty of emotional support. Regular team meetings help them feel like part of the whole. Training seminars and guest speakers can help motivate, encourage and instruct.

Plan and Monitor the Sales Effort

Present your sales team with a definitive sales plan based on revenue projections. Set both group and individual goals, and be very clear about each individual's objectives.

Be Visible and Approachable

If your sales team perceives you as remote, indecisive or unavailable, team members will mirror that style.

Deal Promptly With Problems

If there is a problem with a product, service or administrative matter, deal with it right away. People problems such as interpersonal conflicts, compensation issues and territorial disputes must be resolved quickly and equitably. Left to fester, problems will impact the morale and productivity of the entire sales team.

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MARKETING

Get Your Business Noticed With Knockout Printed Materials

Wisdom

Quotes by...Ray Kroc

"It's easy to have principles when you're rich. The important thing is to have principles when you're poor."

"If you work just for money, you'll never make it, but if you love what you're doing and you always put the customer first, success will be yours."

Every small business has a need for marketing materials like brochures, pamphlets, presentation slides, handouts or trade show signage to get it noticed. Luckily, there are many software programs on the market nowadays that make designing promotional and collateral materials a snap. You can quickly and easily customize, update or target marketing pieces for specific occasions or audiences and save big by doing it yourself.

Designing and producing eye-catching, effective marketing materials come down to knowing and applying these basic principles of design:

Keep it clean, simple and easy on the eyes.
Select and use a few choice colors per page.
Don't overdo design features, as too many graphics, fonts or decorations are distracting.
Use simple, direct language and break up blocks of text.
Use headings and subheads to organize and clarify your message.
Use white space as a visual frame for text, graphics and other content.
Pay special attention to the beginning and end as well as the top and bottom.
Notice what the reader will see when he or she turns the page or opens the brochure.
Do not crowd or overload a layout, and delete content if necessary.
Invest in decent photographs; do not use amateur snapshots.

Your marketing materials give an impression of your company's overall professionalism. Strive for a thematic look in all your collateral materials. They don't all need to be identical, but they should come together and communicate your brand and your message in a consistent, coordinated way.municate to people why they should select your brand over the competition.

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FINANCE

How to Make the Most of Business Credit Cards

Depending on who you listen to, the economy has or has not bottomed out, When used properly, business credit cards can be a powerful financial and strategic tool for small-business owners. In addition to providing a cash infusion or capital for emergency purchases, using a business or commercial credit card can be a sound business strategy.

Business owners often rely on credit cards to deal with lumpy cash flows or to facilitate growth, expansion and acquisitions. Some business card issuers offer various payment options to help small- and midsize enterprises (SMEs) meet these specific needs.

Credit cards can also be a tool for record-keeping. Credit card statements can help SMEs monitor spending by category and assess the financial health of the business. Year-end statements can be invaluable for tax preparation.

It is important to keep business and personal expenses separate. Never use a business credit card for personal expenses, and avoid accumulating debt on a business credit card. There are other benefits to using business credit cards:

Designated spending limits give business owners control over employee expenditures.
Business-friendly incentives, such as discounts on supplies, travel or business services, can add up for SMEs.
Reward benefits like frequent flier miles, restaurant and hotel points, merchandise rewards, or cash back help small businesses leverage spending.
Because there is no liability for unauthorized charges, business credit card owners are protected against fraud.

This newsletter and any information contained herein is intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. The publisher takes great efforts to ensure the accuracy of information contained in this newsletter. However, we will not be responsible for errors or omissions or any damages, howsoever caused, that result from its use. Seek competent legal counsel for advice on any legal matter.

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BMA Marketing

246 Wolcott Rd

Wolcott, CT 06716