There are a number of things you can do to help boost your overall success. You can start by following these 7 tips:

1. Quality over Quantity

Sales is not always about the numbers, as some people would argue. The point of sales is to create quality conversations with prospective clients. Those that thrive in sales have qualification criteria and try not to waste their time on people that are at too low a level, companies that won’t benefit from their products/services, or buyers that don’t have the money to make the deal happen. Successful sales people work to find out this information early on, so they could focus on the files that matter.

2. Always have a Next Step

Never leave a sales meeting with a client without a solid next step that both of you agree to.  Often times you will hear objections such as “just email me a few times that will work and we’ll put it on the schedule.” In most cases this does not work and takes you out of the driver’s seat.  Sales people find themselves chasing after clients days after writing the email and playing broken telephone, making the sales pitch highly unproductive in the process. The next step should always be tentatively set. Remind the prospect that if they wish to cancel, they could call you to arrange another time.

REMEMBER: When a prospect makes a commitment on the spot, they are much more likely to follow through.

3. Ask, listen, and act.

These three words define sales success. Your questions must be creative, planned, and purposeful. Your listening skills must be well-developed, showing the prospect that you are keen on meeting their needs and making them your success story. You must then respond and take action while proving that you listened to them and want their business.

4. Develop an attitude

Your attitude can only be controlled by you; no one else can do it for you. Conquer your fears and face them head on. Eliminate any vocabulary that will limit your success and develop an attitude that will help you climb the corporate ladder. Remember, your thought habits control your commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, resilience, happiness, and confidence. With time and effort, you can become the person you want to be.

5. Pace yourself

Prospecting is a very time-consuming and arduous task. Allocate a specific amount of time each day (week?) and keep to the schedule. It is always easy to put something ahead of the prospecting activity but make an appointment with yourself and don’t break it.

6. Commit to Lifelong Learning

Commit yourself to lifelong learning. Read, listen to audio programs, attend seminars, and never forget that the most valuable asset you will ever have is your mind. As you continue to learn, you will eventually become the one of the most valuable salespeople in your industry. The more knowledge you obtain that can be applied to practical purposes, the greater will be your rewards.

7. Shorten Meetings

Try scheduling short, 15 minute meetings with prospects. This will help you have more productive and effective meetings. It will also compel prospects to come and talk, especially when they have busy schedules and almost never time.

 

Carmel Vision, a Toronto based CRM software development company, is focused on delivering a powerful management infrastructure that is designed to collect, search, and archive all content, contact and communication activities that take place in a typical office. We understand and listen to all of our customers’ needs and strive to give excellent quality at affordable prices.

Our flagship product, InfoFlo – is a central management system specifically designed to combat one of the biggest technical challenges facing any professional organization, how to efficiently organize, archive, filter and search the vital information that bombards our desktops on a daily basis. Our infrastructure allows all office activities to coexist together under one umbrella, making all critical information readily available at your fingertips.
All interested parties are welcome to download a free trial version of our CRM application.

No credit cards and long term commitments are required. Click here to download free trial.

Do you post long –form content   on LinkedIn? Are you wondering how the publishing platform can help you generate business?  Long-form post publishing on LinkedIn is a rewarding opportunity all businesses looking to social lead generation for increasing sales should take advantage of. Over half of the best performing posts are written by everyday people and 45% of readers are in the upper ranks of your industry, which means CEOs, owners, CFOs etc.

 

Why Publish on LinkedIn: 5 Compelling Reasons

1. Be viewed as a thought leader in your market or nice.
2. Reinforce your existing relationships with customers and prospects.
3. Generate new leads.
4. Grow your network of connections and followers.
5. Increase reach and visibility of your content marketing initiatives.

 

Post Frequency

Post frequency is not nearly as important as user engagement and catchy headlines. The latter two factors will get you promoted on LinkedIn Pulse channels, which will increase the credibility and visibility of posts you write.  Individuals who read your posts have the option of liking them and following your account for future updates. If you disappear or stop writing for an extended period of time, your followers may choose to unfollow you. If you start losing a heft amount of followers, you’ll need to reevaluate your strategy. Always be testing!

 

Post Length

The recommended length of posts is 400-600 words. I usually say that the sky is time limit. The more words you have, the more chances you’ll have of being found via search on social media channels and search engines like Google and Bing. Content is king! I thereby aim for 1,000+ words and try to incorporate bullet points, infographics, listicles etc.

 

How to Read Other LinkedIn Writers’ Posts

When you visit the Pulse page, you’ll see all of the influencer posts, plus all of the news that comes in from outside sources. This is where you can customize and choose the channels you want to follow. Now there is also a tab within Pulse for All Publishers.

A new year means a fresh start for everyone. Wipe your slate clean and start over with these 8 productivity hacks for a more productive 2016:

Tip #1:

Know exactly what you don’t do. Keep a “NO THANKS” list. Over time, this list should grow.  This will not only help you manage your time wisely, but will allow you to delegate tasks to more able individuals. Team Work is the key to a productive 2016!

 

Tip #2:

Define your Most Important Tasks (MITs) by identifying 3-5 things you must accomplish each day. You will improve your overall performance because you can’t focus on your important tasks if you don’t know what’s important.

 

Tip #3:

Author Alfred Montapert once said, “Don’t confuse motion and progress. A rocking horse keeps moving but doesn’t make any progress.” This year, redefine productivity. It’s not about how much you get done, it’s about the impact you’re having.

 

Tip #4:

Upon deciding to do something, stay committed and give it your all! Plan and then execute and then plan again and execute again.

 

Tip #5:

Commit to never multitask ever again. We live in a multi-tab, multiple device, multi –screen world, but none of it is truly good for our productivity levels. Working on one thing at a time will make you faster and less apt to make mistakes.

 

Tip #6:

Eliminate in-person meetings even if it’s only for one day of the week. Opt to have all meetings online. You’ll be surprised as to how much gets done when you don’t have to fragment your day into multiple pieces so you could attend various meetings.

 

Tip #7:

Keep your workspace clean. Decide on a day of the month to be the one when you clean off your desk. Every clutter on your desk can serve as a distraction.

 

Tip #8:

Some people find that unless they schedule “easy going” things, they will never become productive in their work etiquette. I’m not only talking about trips to Paris or London or a 1-week long cruise, I’m talking about the little things: a walk in the park, a 1h/day exercise routine etc or doing a crossword every morning.

 

Very often, lack of productivity is caused by lack of resources and tools in the workplace, which would allow employees to perform their duties in the most productive ways possible. Employing an effective CRM tool will help you and your team establish and maintain better relationships with your customers….and who doesn’t like happy customers who continuously do business with you? It’s also a tool that takes a customer-centric approach to your sales and support processes by organizing data concerning your contacts, customers, and deals and making them accessible in one place.

Carmel Vision, a Toronto based CRM software development company, is focused on delivering a powerful management infrastructure that is designed to collect, search, and archive all content, contact and communication activities that take place in a typical office. We understand and listen to all of our customers’ needs and strive to give excellent quality at affordable prices.

Our flagship product, InfoFlo – is a central management system specifically designed to combat one of the biggest technical challenges facing any professional organization, how to efficiently organize, archive, filter and search the vital information that bombards our desktops on a daily basis. Our infrastructure allows all office activities to coexist together under one umbrella, making all critical information readily available at your fingertips.
All interested parties are welcome to download a free trial version of our CRM application.

No credit cards and long term commitments are required. Click here to download free trial.

You can reduce unwanted stress or manage it productively by employing these 8 stress management strategies.

 

1. Get Enough Sleep

Sleep is very important to the development of your emotional and physical well being. Lack of it can negatively impact your ability to manage stress, be productive, and complete daily-assigned tasks. Unfortunately, our busy schedules can make sleeping longer harder to do. If you’re finding that you are no’t able to get enough sleep during the night, do no’t underestimate the value of a power nap! That always helps!

 

2. Maintain Proper Nutrition

It is the most obvious tip on this list, but very few people follow through with it on a daily basis. A poor diet can actually make you more vulnerable to stress! While hectic schedules can make it harder to get proper nutrition, a poor diet is not unavoidable! Four most important things to remember when trying to maintain proper nutrition: 1) Don’t skip meals; 2) Drink plenty of water; 3) Exercise daily; 4) Eat more whole grains and fruits and vegetables.

 

3. Exercise Regularly

Exercise can vastly improve your physically and mentally well being and your ability to manage stress. It provides a stress release and keeps your body healthy. It also helps your body release endorphins, which boost your feelings of overall well being.

 

4. Maintain Social Support

Social support networks can help keep you healthier and happier, creating a buffer against stress. Friends and colleagues can pick you up when you’re under the weather, provide insights when you’ are befuddled, and help you have fun when you are feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Learn how to cultivate supportive friendships and expand your social circle so you wi’ll have someone to lean on when the time comes for it.

 

5. Disconnect

Being connected 24/7 is not the answer to everything. One of the simplest ways to restore a little serenity in the midst of a hectic week is to turn off the phone and shut the lid to your laptop. Unplug your land line during and after dinner, too.

 

6. Help Others

If you notice a waiter seems dispirited, leave them a good tip. Bag your own groceries for a tired clerk. Make eye contact with everyone you meet as you go about your day. Alleviating the stress of others is the best way to alleviate your own.

 

7. Write it Down

Writing provides perspective for individuals with poor stress management skills. Fold a piece of paper in half. On the left side, list the stressors you may be able to change. On the right, list the ones you can’t. “Change what you can!” For what you cannot change, create a list of goals and people that will help you make the changes possible.

 

8. Watch Your Breathing

Most of us don’t breathe enough normally; we take shallow breaths and deprive ourselves of oxygen. Add stress to that and we can even become light-headed. Sit in a quiet place, close your eyes and take 10 deep breaths. Inhale slowly and exhale more slowly. You’ll be amazed at how relaxed you will feel!

 

 

Very often, stress is caused by lack of resources and tools in the workplace, which would allow employees to perform their duties in the most productive ways possible. Employing an effective CRM tool will help you and your team establish and maintain better relationships with your customers….and who doesn’t like happy customers who continuously do business with you? It’s also a tool that takes a customer-centric approach to your sales and support processes by organizing data concerning your contacts, customers, and deals and making them accessible in one place.

Carmel Vision, a Toronto based CRM software development company, is focused on delivering a powerful management infrastructure that is designed to collect, search, and archive all content, contact and communication activities that take place in a typical office. We understand and listen to all of our customers’ needs and strive to give excellent quality at affordable prices.

Our flagship product, InfoFlo – is a central management system specifically designed to combat one of the biggest technical challenges facing any professional organization, how to efficiently organize, archive, filter and search the vital information that bombards our desktops on a daily basis. Our infrastructure allows all office activities to coexist together under one umbrella, making all critical information readily available at your fingertips.
All interested parties are welcome to download a free trial version of our CRM application.

No credit cards and long term commitments are required. Click here to download free trial.

You’ve never made a mistake, right? We certainly never have. It’s a pretty big deal, however, when those mistakes result in lost sales and wasted leads. Especially if those mistakes were avoidable! Here are deal-busting sales mistakes you should avoid at all costs.

#1 Selling to the Wrong Customer

#2 Selling the Wrong Product

#3 Failing to Provide any Proof or Metrics

#4 Failing to Show the Difference

#5 Underpricing Your Product

#6 Convincing and Defending as Opposed to Listening

#7 Failing to Proactively Answer Questions

#8 Failing to Follow Up On Time

#9 Being Unprepared

#10 Not Closing the Sale

#11 Going Off Topic and Not Thoroughly Researching your Customer and their Industry

For Management #12: Not Equipping Your Staff with the Tools and Software they Need  to Prosper in their Work Environments.

Purchasing the proper software and tools (i.e., CRM Tool) is not an easy process, especially when you have over a dozen vendors to choose from.

Think of selecting the right CRM tool like purchasing a garden hose. If you go to a home hardware store, you will notice that there over a dozen types of garden hoses to choose from. There are vinyl and rubber ones and hoses on wheels. There are also hoses made by Flexogen, Teknor and Craftsmen. Unless you are a professional contractor or gardener, you more than likely won’t know the difference and which one will best suit you.

Similarly, there are dozens of CRM applications on the market today. Unless you are a software/tech wiz, you will not be able to proactively tell the difference between each of them and what competitive advantage each has to offer.

What is CRM? A CRM tool is a database that keeps record of all interactions your staff have with the people and companies you do business with. A comprehensive CRM database ensures that nothing falls through the crack and that you stay on top of your deadlines and tasks day in and day out.

Carmel Vision offers an affordable, all-encompassing on-premise CRM tool  (InfoFlo) for all business, regardless of their competitiveness or size. All interested parties are welcome to download a free trial version of our CRM application. No credit cards and long term commitments are required. Click here to download.

Here are 8 tips for our customers on how to build customer rapport in sales:

1. Make sure your body language, words, and tone of voice are all professionally aligned. I remember one time I was told, “I’m sorry, you’ll be much happier with this solution instead,” which made very upset. I wasn’t upset with the fact that he was trying to solve my problem. On the contrary, I would have preferred someone to correct me if I was wrong. His body language showed me otherwise – a person who looked at me as another customer wasting his time. He was already eyeballing the next customer walking through the doors.
2. Always make eye contact with the person(s) you are conferring with. Don’t stare at one person in particular – look at everyone equally. They say that there’s only three degrees of separation between equality (looking squarely at someone), self-centeredness (looking down at someone), and insecurity (looking up at someone with a raised head).
3. Be genuine in your excitement and enthusiasm. Customers are easily influenced by a sales representative who is confident in their sales skills and loves their job.
4. Watch how you speak to people. Try to match the pitch, speed, and volume of the person(s) speaking to/with you. That means, if someone is talking in a quiet voice, you should do the same.
5. Check your attitude problems at the door. Use your positive body language list to reposition your attitude until your mood improves.
6. Listen before talking. The last thing you want is to talk about you and your products/services and how they are great. Perhaps the customer wants something different. You will never know until you ask.
7. Eliminate the “I” in every sentence you say. Replace the “I” with “you”. How will the customer benefit from your products or services?
8. Sales agents should be able to adapt their approach – there is no reason to think that all customers should be approached using the same style.

Remember that it takes less then one minute to make an impression with a decision maker. Make the right impression and you will develop trust and get the sale. Develop the wrong impression and you will lose the business to someone else.

Start-up business owners encounter many problems especially in the first 5 years of business. Some of them are internal. These include finance, machinery, human resources, etc. Other factors are external and include competition, the state of economy, changing consumer behavior, etc. If you are start-up business owner looking to ace sales and make your business a success, you should read these 7 books:

 

 

1. The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich – Timothy Ferriss

The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich (2007) is a self-help book written by Timothy Ferriss, an American writer, educational activist, and entrepreneur. He came up with the ideas presented in the book while working 14-hour days at a sports nutrition supplement company. Frustrated by the long hours and lack of free time, Ferriss took a 3-week sabbatical. During that sabbatical, Ferriss developed a streamlined system of checking email once per day and outsourcing small daily tasks to virtual assistants. His personal escape from a workaholic lifestyle was the inspiration for this book.

 

2. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap And Others Don’t – Jim Collins

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t is a self-help book written by James C. Collins that examines how businesses transition from being average companies to great companies and how companies could fail in the transition. The book is recommended for all companies that are not born with great DNA and for “below average” companies that are struggling to make ends meet. To write the book, Collins hired a large team of researchers who studied 6,000 articles, generated more than 2,000 pages of interview transcripts and created 384 megabytes of computer data in a five-year project.  The book was a HIT, selling 4 million copies and going far beyond the traditional audience of business books.

 

3. The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It – Michael E. Gerber

This book has been recommended by almost every entrepreneur I’ve heard lecture and for good reason. It is the revised and updated version of the phenomenal bestseller The E-Myth (1985), which dispels the myths about starting your own business. Gerber argument is that business owners rarely make good business people, despite the fact that many of them have great and innovative ideas. They fail in business because they are rarely able to connect with their target market and convert good prospects into loyal customers. To help prevent other entrepreneurs from making fatal mistakes, Gerber presented in an easily understood book an effective business model that guides entrepreneurs through at all stages of growth.

 

4. The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future – Chris Guillebeau

In the $100 Startup, Chris Guillebeau discusses the challenges a small business encounters when starting and growing. This book is a guide for small business start-ups to overcome these challenges. The $100 Startup is the result of research by surveys and hundreds of interviews with success of startup businesses. Most points in the book are illustrated by examples.

 

5. Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion – Gary Vaynerchuk

This book is about knowing your passion and earning profits pursuing it using the Internet. Gary Vaynerchuk says you need to have the passion to make profits. The author emphasizes using online platform and personal branding to promote business. The book is a good guide for people who want to start business promotion through social media tools, to succeed offline or online business.

 

6. The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses – Eric Ries

The Lean Startup encourages companies that are able to leverage human creativity effectively and are able to use capital more efficiently. This assertion is an inspiration from lean manufacturing. The whole logic of the book depends on rapid scientific experimentation, validated learning, a number of counter initiative practices that can shorten product development cycles without resorting to vanity metrics.

 

7. Big Bang Disruption: Strategy in the Age of Devastating Innovation by Larry Downes and Paul Nunes

What do pagers, walkmen, alarm clocks, answering machines, alarm clocks and GPSs have in common? They all have fallen victim to big bang disruption, as Larry Downes and Paul Nunes explain in their stimulating new book, Big Bang Disruption: Strategy in the Age of Devastating Innovation (Penguin, 2014) put it. Big bang disruptions are large-scale, fast-paced innovations that can disrupt stable businesses very rapidly. The point of this book is to document what is known about this phenomenon and the book gives very good examples. There’s nothing better than following in the footsteps of giants who made it big with the start-up idea.

 

No marketing or sales strategy is complete without an all-encompassing, on-premise CRM tool. Check out InfoFloSoftware and download free trial today!