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The Honest Economy by Marcus Sheridan

May 15, 2013 by Karin Schwartz

Below you’ll find an email from my friend Marcus Sheridan of The Sales Lion (www.thesaleslion.com – great website, download his e-book, it’s amazing).  Marcus is a fantastic speaker and was recently selected to speak at a TED event and has received rave reviews for his talk – you can click on the link below to see the video.  In his comments below he mentioned 5 things you can do today to Embrace the Honest Economy and Change Your Business Forever – what are you willing to do?

 

From Marcus:

At this point, you and I have a choice. Be it the way we live our life or run our business, we can walk to the beat of the way “it has always been done” as well as the way “the other guys do it” or we can make a divergence in the road and clear our own path from this point forward.

When it comes to marketing you and your business, this reality has never been so true. Please stick with me for a second so I can explain…

As some of you are already well aware, two weeks ago I spoke at a TED event near Washington DC. As one who speaks a lot, this 11-minute talk was the hardest thing I’ve ever done on stage. I literally poured my heart and soul into it because it’s a message I so firmly believe in. I also know, without a shadow of doubt, that any business or individual who embraces this approach will positively change their industry, build their brand, and create more paying customers in the process.

I’m calling this movement “The Honest Economy ,” and it’s my hope you’ll consider joining the movement today-and also hugely benefit in the process.

And what is The Honest Economy? Simple, it’s one that’s not based on cheap sales tactics, poor financial practices, or slick ad copy. Rather, it’s fundamental core comes down to two essential elements: Great communication and teaching.

This is why content marketing is something I talk about so very much on The Sales Lion. When all is said and done, we’re just trying to be better teachers and communicators.

But to make this simple, I’m going to mention 5 things you could choose to do that not only are fundamentally based in truth and honesty, but will have an incredible impact on your business, brand, and bottom line. Here they are:

5 Ways You Can Embrace The Honest Economy and Change Your Business Forever

1. Answer every question-positive or negative-you’ve ever been asked by a prospect or customer. Turn each question into a blog post title, and then just answer it. Hold nothing back. Be real. Be consistent. Make this a culture.

2. Write a manifesto about something you seeing wrong in your industry, and then show it to the world. (Yes, this takes guts, but you’ll be amazed at the results.)

3. Make an offer to customers no one else in your industry is willing to offer. (Car Max did this with their 5-day money back guarantee in the used car industry and it worked out pretty well for them 😉

4. Make a section of your website called “Who we are not for.” (Believe it or not, it’s more important in your copy that you tell people who you’re NOT for (your product, service, etc.) than who you are for. I’m sure no one does this right now in your industry, but if you do, you’ll see the powerful psychological effect it has on customers and prospects.)

5.  Show your “secret sauce” by making a video explaining how you do what you do . As mentioned in the TED talk, if McDonalds showed the world how to make their secret sauce, don’t you think it’s time we showed ours?? Whether you offer a product, a service, are B2B or B2C-please consider showing the world how you make your secret sauce.

2 Requests that Could Change Your Life and Mine as Well 

I have two sincere requests on this day my friends.

1. Choose one of the above challenges . Tell me, by hitting “reply” to this email, which one you’re doing (or will do) and why. I ask this because I want to be a part of the journey with you.

2. I need your help spreading my TED talk. In order for the talk to be considered by TED.com (only 2% of all TED talks make it to the main TED.com website ) I really need to get the views above 10,000 by next week (currently it’s at 4,000 after the first two days). If everyone that receives this email just clicked on this link and watched the video once, we’d be way above that number. And if everyone shared that same video on Facebook or Twitter, the results would be astounding.

I’m not usually one to ask my readers and subscribers for favors, but today, I am. I do sincerely need your help and hope you’ll consider going to YouTube and at least watching the message-The Honest Economy.

As always, thanks everyone and I can’t wait to hear your responses to the 5 challenges above and see which you’ll choose.

Marcus Sheridan

Filed Under: Business Tips, Outsourced Lead Generation Services, Sales Tips Tagged With: Baltimore, business tips, Cadre, Content Marketing, Derek Coburn, grow your business, Lead Generation, Marcus Sheridan, Melanie Coburn, small business, The Honest Economy, The Sales Lion, Washington DC

Ready, Fire, Aim: Business Development Strategy in Small Businesses

June 15, 2012 by Karin Schwartz

You wouldn’t shoot a gun and then aim, right? So don’t wait until your business fails to realize that you need a business development strategy.

Failing to plan is planning to fail.

The above adage holds true in the small business community. Without direction, a business cannot survive. This is why a well-structured and properly implemented business development strategy is so important to the success of your small business.

What is Business Development?

Business development is the combined process of strategic analysis, marketing, and sales to further the success of your business.  These three sectors must work together to in order for your business to realize the full effects of each. Sales cannot thrive without marketing, which cannot thrive without strategic analysis, and so forth and so on.

Without the right business development strategy, your business simply cannot grow and thrive. Still, countless small business owners acknowledge that they have failed to either implement their business development strategy or that they have failed to ever draft a business development strategy.

So what’s next?

Is it Time to consider Outsourced Business Development?

An outsourced business development firm will design and implement a unique business development plan for your small business to help position your business with the right marketing efforts, develop new business opportunities, generate leads, qualify those leads, analyze sales data, win proposals, and make sales.

Springboard Business Development

Located in Baltimore, Maryland, Springboard offers outsourced sales solutions for businesses in the professional services arena. Our approach to business development makes it easy to find new clients without the financial burden of an in-house business developer.

At Springboard we know sales. Using our resources and expertise, your business can be out developing new opportunities without ever having to be concerned about the time, effort and costs it takes to develop a new sales person.

If you have any questions about Outsourced Business Development and Small Business, please contact Springboard Business Development by calling 410-832-7560 or click here today!

Located in Baltimore, Maryland, Springboard offers outsourced sales solutions for businesses in the professional services arena. Our approach to business development makes it easy to find new clients without the financial  burden of an in-house business developer.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn as well!

Filed Under: Business Development, Maryland Business Development, Outsourced Business Development, Outsourced Lead Generation Services, Sales Outsourcing Tagged With: business development plan, Business Development Strategy, business opportunities, generate leads, marketing, Outsourced Business Development, outsourced sales, sales, small business, Small Businesses, strategic analysis, What is Business Development

Business Development Isn’t Just for Small Business: Big Boys can Play Too

April 27, 2012 by Karin Schwartz

Why larger companies are looking at outsourcing business development in today’s marketplace. 

With contracts taking longer and longer to come to fruition, the days of in house business developers may be quickly coming to an end…even for large companies. In today’s economy, even the big boys cannot justify the overhead of a full-time business development specialist. With salary ranges of $120-175k plus benefits, taxes, and expense reimbursements, a company can end up paying upwards of $250k per year for an experienced business developer. Who can afford that?

More and more companies are turning to outsourced business development firms, like Springboard, to ask, “How can we do this at less cost while hitting all the key areas?“ It’s simple; at Springboard we’ve taken what we’ve always done for smaller businesses to the larger market.  We expanded and brought in more talent to give larger corporations the access, the exposure, and the opportunities they need based on their budget.

Just look at the bottom line!

What your large corporation used to pay in terms of salary for a single business development specialist can now be used to outsource 3-5 high-level business development experts. That is what we offer at Springboard. We know the more ears, eyes, and feet you have out in the marketplace the more opportunities we will find and you will win.

If you have any questions, contact Springboard Business Development by calling 410-832-7560 or click here today!

Located in Baltimore, Maryland, Springboard offers outsourced sales solutions for businesses in the professional services arena. Our approach to business development makes it easy to find new clients without the financial  burden of an in-house business developer.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn as well!

Filed Under: Business Development, Maryland Business Development, Outsourced Business Development Tagged With: Baltimore, business development, business development experts, business development specialist, experienced business developer, large companies, large corporation, larger companies, larger corporations, small business, smaller businesses, Springboard

11 Tips to Help You Outsell Your Competitors

December 23, 2011 by Karin Schwartz

Running your own business is not easy. Running your own business that revolves around sales can be downright difficult. That is why we have compiled a list of 11 sales tips to help you outsmart and outsell the competition. These tips include:

1. Set Yourself Apart: There has to be some to differentiate your product from the competition. It either has to be better quality, easier to use, more convenient, or less expensive.

2. Treat Weaknesses as Strengths: If you have higher prices (weakness), be sure to offer flexible terms (strength).

3. Confidence: If you don’t believe in your product or your brand, why would your client?  

4. Giving up on a Sale: Giving up on a sale is not a bad thing. Sometimes it is a smart maneuver. You can’t waste your valuable time on a lost cause.

5. Be Professional: Especially if you are a small business, the way you dress, act, and talk says a lot about you and your company. So be professional.

6. Small Companies can Make Big Moves: If you are a small business, use that to your advantage. You can make more concessions than big corporations. So work with your client and formulate a plan that is mutually beneficial.

7. Nothing is Free: If a customer asks for a proposal, insist that you’ll only write one if awarded a meeting with the CEO.

8. Time is Money: You cannot afford to deal with wishy-washy clients. Get in, get the sale, or get out.

9. Show Your Value: Prove to your client that you can add value to their company.

10. Never Stop Learning: A good salesperson will never stop learning new sales skills or new sales techniques.

11. Sales Outsourcing with Springboard: Located in Baltimore, Maryland, Springboard offers outsourced sales solutions for businesses in the professional services arena. It’s simple, while you focus on delivery, we bring our sales expertise and connections to focus on your business development challenges.

If you have any questions, contact Springboard Business Development by calling 410-832-7560 or click here today!

Our approach to business development makes it easy to find new clients without the concerns of sales team turn-over, lack of sales expertise and payroll.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well!

Sources:

How to Outsell a Huge Competitor

Filed Under: Business Development, Maryland Business Development, Outsourced Business Development, Sales Outsourcing, Sales Tips Tagged With: 11 Tips to Help You Outsell Your Competitors, Baltimore, Be Professional, believe in your product or your brand, better quality, business development, CEO, client, clients, Confidence, customer, customers, deal with wishy-washy clients, differentiate your product from the competition, easier to use, get the sale, Giving up on a Sale, good salesperson, How to Outsell a Huge Competitor, learning new sales skills, less expensive, Maryland, more convenient, Never Stop Learning, new sales techniques, Nothing is Free, offer flexible terms, outsell the competition, Outsell Your Competitors, outsmart and outsell the competition, outsourced sales solutions, proposal, Running your own business, sales expertise, Sales Outsourcing, sales team, sales tips, Set Yourself Apart, Show Your Value, small business, Small Companies can Make Big Moves, Springboard, Springboard Business Development, Time is Money, Treat Weaknesses as Strengths, work with your client

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