Now I know I’m not usually in your inbox on a Wednesday! But yesterday, I talked about the importance of daily action and I had to come back today, so you knew that I was practicing what I preach! You see, it’s a huge mistake to make business development this “thing” that you do. Like…
On Saturday, I told you the story about going to 27 new business meetings in a row without closing a single client. That was a painful process, it was a lot of rejection, and the reason those appointments didn’t close was primarily that I wasn’t executing well. It sucked. But during that same time, other…
“You can have anything you want if you are willing to ask 1,000 people for it.” ~ Byron Katie When I first started my business, I worked with a sales trainer. He told me, “Get 30 appointments in your first 90 days, and you’ll have a thriving consulting business.” I didn’t know any better, so…
Creative service businesses tend to have a small number of clients (8 – 12) that make up the bulk of their revenue each year. So keeping those clients happy is crucial to your success. What does it mean to “delight” clients of a creative services firm? What will separate you from the other agencies competing…
Putting ‘Good, Better, Best’ Pricing into Action How much more profitable could your business be if you could sell your services at higher prices? The answer is way more profitable, right? Tiered pricing could be the answer to this conundrum. The strategy is successful for many reasons. It’s a great way to raise prices without…
The sales funnel is a useful concept for helping us visualize the journey that a prospect makes toward becoming a customer. But the idea of the “funnel” makes the process seem more predictable than most of us find in practice! Just because someone is in your funnel doesn’t mean that they will buy, or even…
When it comes to your sales pipeline, there’s just one thing you are in complete control over. You can’t control when people buy or who will buy, but you have complete control over the top of your funnel. And unless you’ve got something seriously wrong, the more qualified leads you put into the top of…
The sales funnel is a useful concept for helping us visualize the journey that a prospect makes toward becoming a customer. But the idea of the “funnel” makes the process seem more predictable than most of us find in practice! Just because someone is in your funnel doesn’t mean that they will buy, or even…
When I talk to growing agencies and creative services firms, their top concern is lead generation. They are confident that they can deliver value, but everyone struggles to get in front of the right potential buyers. Because their pipeline is skinny, and they’re anxious about that, I see folks relaxing their qualification. Instead of focusing…
On Tuesday, we talked about how you are most likely the best salesperson your business will have. But that doesn’t mean you have to do it alone! Here are some ways I’ve seen agency owners get help to keep business flowing. Use a VA for outreach If you are doing some form of consistent outreach…