Friday, February 19, 2010

Get More Sales



There is a very simple formula for sales:
More Connections = More Sales


But this doesn't mean you have to go out and find a truck load of more connections yourself, sometimes you only need to work with you existing connections to increase your sales. Selling more to an existing client or selling them additional products or services is so much more cost effective than trying to find a whole lot of new customers.


They already know you, they already like you and they already trust you. It is simply a matter of finding out what their needs are and then satisfying them with a product or service (it doesn't even have to be yours!! Could be a joint venture or affiliate!)


Find out more on this video I did for Broker News TV - while the picture below looks like I am in pain, trust me there really is some good stuff in it!! 




Monday, February 15, 2010

What Inspires your Booth?

In talking with many exhibitors, one of the things that comes up frequently as an issue is "How should my booth look?"



Now you don't have to have a person bungy jumping through the floor or hanging from the cross beam like these guys did, but what can you do to stand out and still reflect the values of your business?


A common suggestion I make to my clients is look at the big players in your category.  If you are selling a low to medium priced product, check out the department stores.  Department stores spend millions of dollars on their visual merchandising and store layout.  Get inspiration on what you think appeals to your customer and what can be adapted to your product.  Maybe they have a certain rack or shelving system or types of posters or backdrops that would work well for you.  Be open to anything.


If you sell higher priced items, make sure the quality and presence of your booth reflects your product.  If you are selling high end, high quality products, you can't afford to have a cheap, dodgy or low quality looking booth.  Again, inspiration can come from your own product.  Like our bungy friends above, maybe you product shown in action is what your clients would like.  Or a large replica that your prospects can interact with how they never could before.  For example, if you sell high end data storage, imagine a hard disk device about 10 times normal size that a prospect can touch the insides of.


Inspiration can also come from other displays in a completely different industry.  As an example, if you are selling custom made clothes, you could display your range of fabrics and accessories like a Lexus dealer displays their car colour charts.


You will be amazed at where your ideas come from.  The secret is that you have to go out looking for them.  You are far more likely to get the burst of brilliance when you are submersing your senses in possibility rather than sitting at your desk willing the ideas to come!


So what inspires you?

Monday, February 8, 2010

Nothing Changes



Have you noticed how if nothing changes, nothing changes?


I know it's a bit obvious, but sometimes it is up to us to change a situation.


For example, I have been writing a proposal for the last week or so and have been struggling. I just couldn't get in to it. So I decided a change of geography would shift my mindset. I took my sexy new netbook to a shopping centre and did the majority of the work in a couple of hours. A simple change got me over my mental block.


What about you? What simple changes can you make when you are stuck - a geographical change (even if it is just changing desks), a physical change (go for a walk) or a mental change (call someone else and ask how they are and don't mention your stuff)?


Next time you get stuck, try something different - you have to make the change happen sometimes.


Enjoy!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Motivating your Team

Sometimes you will find that your team are not as motivated as you would like.  Check the video recorded for Broker TV for some ideas on motivating your team more.