Larson's sales & marketing blog

How to expand your business? You have more ways than you might realize. Here is a quick checklist for you to plan out your expansion. Think of your existing markets, your customers, your produces and services and your distribution channels and try to generate new alternatives for your business in these approaches.

A. Teleprospecting.
B. Hire a new salesperson
C. Sell more of your existing products and services to existing customers
D. Develop new products for existing customers.
E. Open up new markets for existing products and services.
F. Penetrate new markets with new products and services.
G. Create new uses for existing products.
H, Segment existing markets by customer types
I. Change your markets perception of your products and services.
J. Change your approach to your existing market.
K. Develop new channels and outlets for existing products and services.
L. Reposition existing products and services.
M. Fragmenting existing products, services clients and markets
N. Creating add-ons to existing products and services.
O. Developing “downstream” sales and aftermarkets.
P. Introducing products as add-ons to products and services.
Q. Bringing new technology to existing products and services.
R. Create entrepreneurs to sell existing products and services.
S. Selling technology as well as products and services.
T. Sell “piggyback” products and services with other products and services.
U. Enter into alliances with other companies whose products, services, markets, clients, distribution channels and outlets complements yours.
V. Buy into markets, products, services, know-how and clients.
W. Offering a wider variety of products and brands
X. Target new pricing niches within your markets as well as specific pieces of your competitors businesses.
Y. Go to group meetings you have never been to before.
Z. Become an industry expert in your unique area or business.

Larson Notes & Satire:  Start here and then do some more brainstorming. There is more than one way to skin a cat.

If you need really help sign up for our “Pick My Brain Consulting”
http://www.larsonassociates.ws/Pick_My_Brain

When you need to talk to someone about growing your business do you know who to turn to about those hard problems? Larson & Associates gives you a way to tap into a vast resource of knowledge build upon years of experience, some good, and some bad so you can navigate the vast ocean of business life.

For the answer to your sales and lead generation problems call Larson & Associates at 847-991-1294 or email me at howard@larsonassociates.ws .  One call is all it takes.

Howard Larson
Larson & Associates
Target Marketing & Telesales Professionals for new account acquisition
Making good businesses great and great businesses even better
847-991-1294
howard@larsonassociates.ws
http://www.larsonassociates.ws
http://larsonassociates.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/LarsonAndAssociatesFans
http://www.linkedin.com/in/larsonassociates

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Tags: Teleprospecting · Telemarketing · Telesales · Outboun

Now in calling we normally use what I call the Payton to the right, Payton to the left, Payton up the middle technique. We hit the line with honesty and directness and it works 9 times out of 10. But if you’re having problems getting through or it is one of those need to have accounts sometimes you need to call out of the box.

1. Call and ask for the Sales Department.
Sales always answers. Talking with salespeople can be an excellent approach. It’s amazing how one salesperson will be willing to help out another salesperson. When asking for assistance, be sure to offer to help them in finding potential leads and contacts. Scratch their backs to get your back scratched.

2. Rather than asking the gatekeeper for the person you want to speak to, begin the call by asking them the same questions you would ask your prospect. These people know more and might have more insight then you or I give them credit. Many times the gatekeeper will realize they can’t answer the questions and wind up connecting with the person and/or department who can.

3. Call back before 8 AM or after 5 PM. Most gatekeepers work traditional hours, so calling either before 8 or after 5 may allow somebody else to answer the phone, "How can help you?" Might be considered unprofitable for having a service to these kinds of calling but if it is you? Go for it.

4. Call during holiday weeks. I’m always surprised at how people behave differently knowing there’s a holiday coming. Calling during a holiday week may very well result in speaking with the gatekeeper when they are in a completely different mood. Side note is the gatekeeper might be on vacation.

5. Call one or two digits off from the phone number you’ve been calling. Dangerious to do but When the person answers, be upfront and say who you’re looking to speak to.

6. Call and ask for Accounts Receivable. Who won’t you through to accounts receivable. Every company is eager to collect money if they can, and by asking for that department, you’ll get connected. When you do get connected, be upfront and state who you’re looking to speak to.

7. Call at different times of the day or over lunch. Everyone takes breaks, and many times the person who relieves the gatekeeper for lunch and/or breaks does not take the same approach as they gatekeeper would.  That person filling in may very well put you through.

8. Let your personality come through and allow the gatekeeper to see you as a normal person who is merely doing their job, just like them.

9. Call a different division or location, if the company has one. Using the other location is a way to learn who you should speak to when the location you’re trying to reach is stonewalling you.

10. Don’t allow one rejection by a gatekeeper to stop you from calling again.

Larson Notes & Satire:  I might or might not suggest you using some of these tactics but they can and do work. I might choose to not use some of the shadier ones. Persistence is your best way and can and will pay off in the long run. Don’t take it seriously or personally. Calling is a game of cat and mouse.

If you allow a rejection by a gatekeeper to negatively impact you, there is little chance you will ever be successful.

The beautiful thing about be being blocked by a gatekeeper is the same thing is most likely happening to your competitor. Big difference is your competitor is probably blowing off the opportunity, leaving the door wide open for you once you get past the gatekeeper.

Many times huge sales have been made after getting past the gatekeeper.

For the answer to your sales and lead generation problems call Larson & Associates at 847-991-1294 or email me at howard@larsonassociates.ws .  One call is all it takes.

Howard LarsoLarson & Associates
Target Marketing & Telesales Professionals for new account acquisition
Making good businesses great and great businesses even better|
847-991-1294
howard@larsonassociates.ws
http://www.larsonassociates.ws
http://larsonassociates.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/LarsonAndAssociatesFans
http://www.linkedin.com/in/larsonassociates

https://twitter.com/LarsonAssociate

P.S. We make teleprospection for small business affordable by offering programs down to only 10 hours a week. Maybe you should add teleprospecting into your marketing mix call today and find out.

Tags: Teleprospecting · Telemarketing · Telesales · Cold

Tags: Larson · Associates · ABC · Teleprospecting · Telemar

Marketers received a healthy portion of companies' budgets in 2014, and that might be increasing in 2015. According to the "Presentation for CMO Survey 2015: Eye on the Buyer” report by research firm Gartner, companies spent, on average, 10.2% of their annual revenue on marketing activities in 2014. And now half of the companies that were surveyed plan to increase their spending in 2015, which translates out to a budget increase of 10.4%.

But there is devil is in the details.  Bigger companies are getting bigger budgets. As an example, companies with revenues of $5 billion or more anticipate using 11% of their money to marketing, while companies with revenues between $500 million and $1 billion ONLY plan to allocate 9.2%. 46% of respondents plan on spending less than 9% of their revenue on marketing and 30% intend to allocate more than 13%, and 24% plan to use some percentage in between. Now I know most of you if not all are not this size or even close but it does not hurt to pay attention to where the Big Boys are playing and what they are playing with.

So where is all this extra money going? One work: DIGITAL! According to the report, 51% of these companies plan to increase their digital marketing budget in 2015. The average boost will be 17%. That increase will give digital a significant hunk of the overall marketing budget. More so when we considering that companies used about 25% of their marketing budgets on digital in 2014.

For some marketers budget allocation is a tough one to crack because not all companies have separate digital marketing budgets. Sixty-eight percent of companies do, according to the report. But marketers waffle on what a digital marketing budget encompasses. Thirty-two percent of respondents consider digital a single line item of the overall marketing budget, while 36% itemize each digital activity. In addition, 23% have incorporated digital marketing into each function of the marketing budget and 8% have done none of the above.

Larson Notes & Satire:  I hate to say it (no I don’t) but if you don’t keep your spending on the traditional ways of marketing you’re going to be really lost. Digital is not a standalone marketing channel. Well maybe to some but to most of you out there, you need the support of email, web site, content, direct mail, trade show and of course TELEMARKETING. And now with our new service offering of INBOUND call answering and ACT social media software we at putting more of what you need  together for you.

For the answer to your sales and lead generation problems call Larson & Associates at 847-991-1294 or email me at howard@larsonassociates.ws .  One call is all it takes.

Howard Larson
Larson & Associates
Target Marketing & Telesales Professionals for new account acquisition
Making good businesses great and great businesses even better
847-991-1294
howard@larsonassociates.ws
http://www.larsonassociates.ws
http://larsonassociates.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/LarsonAndAssociatesFans
http://www.linkedin.com/in/larsonassociates

https://twitter.com/LarsonAssociate

P.S. We make telesales for small business affordable by offering programs down to only 15 hours a week. Maybe you could add telesales into your marketing mix call today and find out.

Tags: email · web · site · content · direct · mail · trade · show

I hope to encourage you to get serious about going out and finding new sales leads. Socially, we can talk about traditional ways another time.

There really is no magic formula. Well there is a formula and I am in the middle of writing a book but NOTHING is 100% in the area of lead generation so get use to it.

1. It is a game of small bites. You need to lots of things right. You need to find, nurture and coddle every lead until they tell you to go away of become a client.

2. You will get very tired of your message before anyone else does. You will I can almost guarantee that you will get very tired of your message you are putting out before most of your target market even know you are saying anything. There is a desire to change your message but don’t! Stay on course and send the same message out over and over and over again and again.

3. Your prospect can’t buy from you if they don’t know you exist or who you are. No one cares how fast you are, how cheap you are, how good you are. If the prospect has never heard of you they won’t really care. Keep your attention on this plain and simple truth, Make becoming know your first objective.

4. Pretend you’re a search algorithm. Yes pretend you’re Google. It really makes no difference what your business does or what it makes. The question is what do people type in to find you. What are the words or word strings. Be the search.

5. You need to be as social engaged as you possibly can. It is really not an option anymore. LinkedIn, Facebook, twitter. Those are the big 3 for starters then there is a plethora or others such as MerchantCircle , Storeboard, tsu.co, Solaborate, Scoop.it, APSense and Referral Key just to name a few.

6. You don’t need to go in big leaps. Some sites are easy, some take time. Take the time to work the sites to make them work for you. Go slow, go steady and you will get there.

Larson Notes & Satire:  This is the online side of lead gen but don’t forget to think about off line lead generation. Things like teleprospecting, direct mail (might want to throw in email marketing in here) trade shows, and the like. It’s not all online and you can get a good bang for your buck using traditional marketing channels. Or if you don’t or can’t find the time call Larson & Associates at 847-991-1294 or email me at howard@larsonassociates.ws .  One call and we work to hand over those leads to you to finish the job.

Howard Larson
Larson & Associates
Target Marketing & Telesales Professionals for new account acquisition
Making good businesses great and great businesses even better
847-991-1294
howard@larsonassociates.ws
http://www.larsonassociates.ws
http://larsonassociates.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/LarsonAndAssociatesFans
http://www.linkedin.com/in/larsonassociates

https://twitter.com/LarsonAssociate

P.S. We make telesales for small business affordable by offering programs down to only 15 hours a week. Maybe you could add telesales into your marketing mix call today and find out.

Tags: Social · Media · Marketing · Lead · Gen · Generation