The Best Way To Increase Email Open Rates

The Top Way To Boost Your Email Marketing Is To Increase Your Email Open Rates.

Seems easy enough, right? Well, not really. Most people don't realize the #1 way to increase email open rates all keys on one concept:

Write Better Subject Lines.

STRONG SUBJECT LINES are the single most important way to increase your email open rate on emails sent out to a list, database, or newsletter.

That's right. You often end how you begin. Begin with a poor subject line, and people opt-out or fail to open your email (or e-mail). So, be smarter than that, and write catchy headlines that increase traffic and increase website traffic.

Ways to increase your email open rates:

1. Write from the reader or prospect's perspective (instead of the marketing perspective). This is the #1 problem with most email subject lines. Their perspective is backwards. Just as with selling, when the salesperson is obsessed with telling you all about their product, if they don't know what YOU NEED or build a RELATIONSHIP PRIOR to trying to sell something to you (or just allowing you to buy) they'll fail, it is the same with Email Marketing. First, build a relationship. Second, understand the buyer's needs. Third, understand their emotional reasons and logical reasons why they might need your product. Fourth, position your product to address those reasons. Fifth, make it easy to buy. Okay, I digress.

A better way to increase your open rate:

Write to what your customer or prospect cares about instead of writing what you want to sell. We need help with things like (a) more traffic, (b) more customers, (c) more sales, (d) losing weight, (e) staying young, (f) quitting smoking, (g) dress to impress, (h) how to get more love, (i) better meals, (j) more restful sleep... and so on. So, take smoking, for example. You wouldn't say "Five patches to help you with smoking." It would be better to write "Having problems quitting smoking?" Now you're writing about the problem, not your solution. (The solution will come inside the email, not in the subject line.) You will increase your open rate if you think about what the reader needs to see rather than what you want them to see.

2. My most powerful method to increase e-mail opens is to ASK A QUESTION. Using a question is the single best way to increase an email open, because what must we do with a question?

Right. ANSWER IT. So, try rewriting your subject line from a statement to a question. Instead of "We found a way to quit smoking," Better would be "Want a new method to quit smoking?" Fortunately, I have seen very little SPAM with a question mark, so your email is not likely to get flagged for SPAM violations.

3. Find a problem. Increase opens because they will care more. The first thing customers care about is their problem. Write about it. Just as with good headlines in PR, it's the same with Email Marketing in trying to increase your email opens. Find a problem that your article, product, or service solves. Then look at the email from the perspective of the PROBLEM, not the solution.

Say, for example, that you're selling highly professional website design. Your headline might be: "Warning: Is Your Website Ruining Your Professional Image?"

4. An email gets opened when it offers something new, better, or secret. So, offer a secret to get your email opened. Or, offer something new and improved. These words have been staples in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry for so long for a good reason: because they work! "New and Improved! Want new secrets to Vista?" Might be a developer's handbook subject line for secrets to using Vista. Or, "Secrets From A Guru Revealed: How To Build Your List Faster With Less Effort" might be a way to sell an email list marketing solution.

5. Using names to improve your email open rates. First Name/Last Name? People think if you use my name, I'll open it. Perhaps, but what if you used the WRONG name. That's a surefire way to make sure I'll delete it. Or, if the end-user goes by Mike, but his website name is Michael, he can screen you because you'll say "Hey Michael..." See what I mean? As an email recipient, I'd rather you tell me YOUR name. If I like it, I might open it.

For example, "ARRiiVE Discovered The Top Problem With Email Opens" might get read more than "Michael, buy this powerful email marketing tips e-book." Even better: "Want to discover ARRiiVE's secrets to increase your email open rate?"

6. Poor word choice limits email opens. Good word choice will increase your open rate. Words like Welcome... Free.... Win... might either turn off your prospect, or worse, get caught in a SPAM filter, so your prospect never sees the message at all. Exclamation points are over-excited. Avoid those. Even F-R-E-E could get you blocked. Hey, Hi... What's up? Are all getting blocked by some people. No subject line at all is definitely a no-no.

Better word choices: Secret... Top 5 Ways... Challenges facing...

7. Make a joke. Depending upon your industry, saying something funny might increase your open. Or, if it is a holiday, you might say, "A Funny Message for Thanksgiving" as people like funny emails. You can also get clever. Words with the "K" sound make people laugh. If you want people to think your email is funny, you could say, "Want To Touch Something Squishy?" That sounds funny, silly, and inviting. I'd expect a goofy email to follow.

8. Offer a Statistic to increase open rates. Even better yet, a statistic is more powerful if the statistic is something shocking. For example, a company who helps you quit smoking might say: "15 Million People died of lung cancer this year. Are you next?" They're hitting the problem square in the nose: it isn't smoking, it's HEALTH! Identifying the right problem, then giving a statistic for that, especially a shocking one - people's health, baby health, loss of something, or so forth, can be shocking. Like "100 Billion In Toxic Waste. What About Your Baby's Diapers?" might be a way to sell "green" diapers, for example.

One funny email I'm thinking about trying is this: "Only 3% of people will open this email." Just to see what percentage opens it.

9. Keep Is Succinct. The only thing I don't like about the last example I gave is the LENGTH. Sometimes, length matters. As in, brevity. And, the more powerful way to say it is with the right words, in as few words, as possible. In my tests to write this blog posts, I found that subject lines with 49 or fewer characters had click-through rates 75 percent higher than for those with 50 or more characters.

Try these tips to increase email open rates and see if you don't increase your email opens in your email campaigns.

If you're seeking more of this type of information, I'm publishing a new e-book on email marketing, which will be coming out in about a month. Add our feed and you can keep track of the product announcement.

Remember, with your subject line, you've got about 3 seconds to impress someone, if that. So, it has to be powerful, concise, intriguing, funny, shocking, or at least intriguing enough to get an open.

I'm actually thinking I need to update how I do my newsletter, to address these, rather than say "AspireNow's Monthly Newsletter" as that does not follow the guidelines of my subject lines. So, see, sometimes in writing advice, we improve our own material. If you subscribe to AspireNow's Newsletter, you'll see how I do at following my own advice!

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Post by Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions.

ARRiiVE Business Solutions helps executives improve sales and marketing, launch products and services, and build dynamic, cross-functional collaborative teams. For more information, contact info (at)ARRiiVE (dot) com or call us at 1 (805) 459-6939.

Copyright © 2007 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. You may republish this article only if you publish in WHOLE with the COPYRIGHT and ALL ACTIVE LINKS intact.

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Top 6 Secrets To Success

Almost every person I know WANTS to succeed. Or, at least, they say they do.

Some people want friendships. Others want financial wealth. And others want to reach power or influence many people. Some just want to live a contented, happy, and simple life. Do you know what you want? What is success to you?

Here is my Top 6 Secrets To Success list:

1. Set and write down your goals. The 3% who write down their goals achieve more wealth, happiness, and success than the other 97%. Be one of the 3%.


2. Work a plan to achieve your goals. Do something EVERY day. Tackle some of the long-term goals every week.


3. Know your limitations. Then expand what you can do. Don't let anyone else tell you what your limitations are. Only you can determine this list.


4. Trust your intuition. Your gut feel is usually right. There is an "inner core" that you can drill into. And that core is whatever brings you closer to SPIRIT or the INFINITE CONSCIOUS ENERGY that runs through all things (some call this God). To the extent that you tap into this core, this is the "gut" that drives success in organizations.


5. Never quit. In the words of Sir Winston Churchill, "Never, never, never, never, never give up." Many people are on the verge of succeeding right about the point where they quit. It might make sense to adjust and modify a plan. But to quit is the definition of the person who stops learning, because failure ought only be a "learning experience" on the path to success.


6. Dream larger dreams. Often, people do not achieve great things because they don't reach for their larger dream. As much as we need to know our limitations, we also ought not limit our own greatness. There's enough obstacles to overcome without putting our own thoughts in the way. Think big. Then do big things.

There are other secrets to success, but these are the six secrets leaders ought to master first.
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Post by Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions.

Copyright © 2007 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. You may republish this article only if you publish in WHOLE with the COPYRIGHT and ALL ACTIVE LINKS intact.

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Plan For Success

I'm always amazed when I talk with a business leader and find out they don't have a business plan or sales plan. Why? Because, they just failed the most important step in ensuring success with their business:

Develop a plan!

A former manager of mine, Dick Boren, used to put a slide up on the overhead in every sales meeting. It read the following words: "Fail to plan, plan to fail."

Now, while that slide is perhaps against the Law of Attraction (why put the words fail on a slide in the first place?) it does highlight a basic truth in selling: you must plan to succeed if you are going to increase your success. As a law of attraction coach, I recommend another quote Dick used even more:

"Plan your work, work your plan. Measure your success."

See, because, when you have a plan for success, you're much more likely to succeed, because you've made a written agreement for success. People tend to honor written agreements more than verbal agreements. Why do you think that out of 100 graduating students, the 3% who wrote down their goals achieved more than the other 97%? This statistic came from a study of graduating students at Harvard University over fifty years ago. In the study, they found that the 3% who wrote down their goals were wealthier than the other 97%, combined. Not only that, but they were also more content. Big surprise, huh?

I recently read that less than 1% of Americans write down there goals. While I haven't yet substantiated that statistic, perhaps that might explain why Americans have so much debt! Land of the free? It's hard to be free when you're buried under a mountain of debt. I've been on both sides of that picture and I'd much rather be debt-free, with money in the bank, than fighting debt collectors.

So, if you're considering how to succeed, maybe you're nodding and realizing, "Hmm.. Scott's right! I need a plan."

Do you have a plan for business success?

If you're writing a sales plan, you'll need some basic elements, which include:

1. Vision. What are you trying to accomplish in your selling efforts?
2. Goals. What numbers, strategies, and basic goals do you wish to accomplish?
3. Company numbers. I've always found a good rule of thumb is to take other people's expectations of me and double them. Why? Because, if I miss MY goals, I'll still HIT THEIR GOALS. And, that's all upper managers seem to care about. You can even do this for yourself, just pretend you're a manager. Give yourself a quota. Then put on your salesperson hat and double the quota! Write down the new number as your goal.
4. Know your territory. If you're going after a sales territory, chances are high that you probably are either organized by a geography, product offering, or vertical market. Out of all the strategies, I've always found that organizing outbound telephone or email calls by vertical market to be wisest, as then you're speaking with the same vernacular during your calls. For example, problems managing the flow of paper in healthcare will carry over from one hospital to another. Language can be quite different between prospects, so by organizing by vertical you can lower the impact of this challenge. However, when making outbound face-to-face calls, it is wisest to organize by geography. This is to limit the cost and time-impact between calls. So, use both strategies to effectiveness if you wish to maximize your time both inside and outside while selling.
5. Know your customer. If you were to ask me the single most important skill a salesperson might possess, I'd have to say "The art asking intelligent questions and listening to the answers for meaning." How many salespeople are great at telling you all about their product? How many salespeople are great at asking intelligent questions, listening, and then converting that knowledge into a solution for the customer? The latter is the salesperson I want to hire.
6. Know your product. Okay, so you did a good job questioning your prospect. You listened to their problem. But when it comes time to describe your solution to their problem, you need to know what you offer, and specifically how it relates to what THEY need. I've been shocked at the number of times in my life when a salesperson either "winged it" or outright "lied" when they didn't know the answer to a question. Don't be lazy. Do your homework, know your product. Especially the features, functions, and benefits that will apply to your prospect's needs. Don't leave it up to them to figure it out. Make it easy for your prospect to buy from you.
7. Have a gifting strategy. Gifting is the #1 most powerful way to build relationships quickly.
8. Have a follow-up strategy: Following-up is the #1 most powerful way to get remembered and strengthen the relationships you build.
9. Have a plan to build value, differentiate, and surprise your clients on EVERY call and in every meeting. This is the #1 most important rule in executing sales calls.
10. Have an action plan. Which accounts, contacts, and strategy will you utilize for each prospect? You ought to at least define your strategic plan for your top ten prospects.

Similar techniques may be used in a business plan, although you'll add in competitive reviews, marketing strategies, market segmentation, financial analysis, and more.

Do you have a plan for personal success?

I even suggest to people to write down their personal goals each year. If you're running a business, evaluate your goal achievements on a monthly and weekly basis. Don't just wait for the quarterly review, as that might be too long of time-lapse between review cycles.

Last, if you need help with a plan, seek out professional assistance. My firm, ARRiiVE Business Solutions, offers executives help writing business plans to raise funding, business plans to improve strategy, sales plans, and personal growth plans. When you work with a professional, you cut the bull from "template" business plans you can buy. You eliminate the generalized answers and fluff you might get from your SBDC (small business development center) and software templates. Many software business planning systems use a "fill-in-the-blank" type of approach to generating business plans. I don't recommend fill-in-the-blank business plans. They are really obvious to someone familiar with reading plans. I use a template, yes, but I custom-write each plan for each client. Why? Because I find that I don't have as many holes. And, even more than that, I don't get FLUFF in my plans. You really don't want a plan if it is full of guesses and generalizations.

Get a plan that offers specific actions, dates, and ways to measure results against the plan to ensure you succeed with your objectives and strategies.

Last, remember, if you plan your work, you plan to succeed. Plan your work, and work your plan. Measure your results. And celebrate your wins! Life is too short not to have a little fun along the way. After all, success is in the act of doing, perhaps as much or more than the act of accomplishment.

The quality of your plan for success directly related to the quality of your results!

If you don't have a solid (quality) plan for success, you might be blocking your development. Either write one yourself; or, better yet, hire an expert to help you plan for your success. Watch how many positives will be drawn to you when you are working from a well-written plan. You can succeed. You will succeed. Make this your mantra. Make a plan. Write it down. Tweak it, work it, measure it, and celebrate it when you win.
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Post by Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions.

ARRiiVE Business Solutions helps executives improve sales, launch products and services, and build dynamic, cross-functional collaborative teams. For more information, contact info (at)ARRiiVE (dot) com or call us at 1 (805) 459-6939.

Copyright © 2007 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. You may republish this article only if you publish in WHOLE with the COPYRIGHT and ALL ACTIVE LINKS intact.

More useful than a cup of espresso: SUBSCRIBE to our feed to stay "in the know" with articles like this.

Everybody Wins - The Game

Join Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions, today at 2:00 P.M. PST for a special interview with Carmen Lynne, creator of EverybodyWINS (www.EverybodyWinsTheGame.com), on the ARRiiVE: Innovations in Business Online Radio Show.

Carmen ran one of the most successful dance studios in Southern California during the swing revival in the 1990's, and is currently a master hypnotherapist operating out of Redondo Beach, CA. Carmen is a graduate of the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in Tarzana, the only nationally accredited school for hypnosis in the USA, and she graduated with honors and the Director's Special Award for outstanding achievement in clinical practice.

She is also the inventor of the first socially conscious board game, EVERYBODY WINS.

We'll be discussing the purpose of the game, how groups can facilitate teamwork and collaboration through the interplay of a fun game, and other concepts like cooperation v. competition, and more!

Visit: http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=37798&cmd=tc

Dial: Phone Number: (724) 444-7444 and enter Talkcast ID: 37798. You might have to download the Talkshoe software first if you haven't yet listened to a talkshoe podcast or radio show prior to this show. This promises to be a very engaging and lively show. Call in with questions or simply listen in at your convenience.
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Post by Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions.

ARRiiVE Business Solutions helps executives improve sales, launch products and services, and build dynamic, cross-functional collaborative teams. For more information, contact info (at)ARRiiVE (dot) com or call us at 1 (805) 459-6939.

Copyright © 2007 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. You may republish this article only if you publish in WHOLE with the COPYRIGHT and ALL ACTIVE LINKS intact.

More useful than a cup of espresso: SUBSCRIBE to our feed to stay "in the know" with articles like this.

Have A Big Idea?

I have a big idea.

And, I am inspired by a CEO, who in his past also has demonstrated big ideas. His company has done some really great things. In fact, this company is now a multi-billion dollar empire. I want to share my thoughts and business model with the CEO, and see if he doesn't have a usage for ways to utilize my big idea within HUGE (my fictional renamed version of his company's name). It could be a big win for my company and a win that would lead to other wins.

Can you relate?

So, I visit HUGE's website to see how to contact the CEO. But, rather than that, there was an invitation to submit my big idea. It glared like a neon light from HUGE's website page:

"Do YOU have a BIG IDEA?"

"YES, I have a big idea!" my insides practically screamed out to tell the website operators of HUGE. Their format of inviting this question seemed innocent, enough.

And, perhaps, they DO intend to honor my big idea.

However, big corporations are caught, literally, between a rock and a hard place. They want to be innovative. They even want to compensate people for innovation. In talking with the largest corporation executives, my experience has been pleasant in that they SEEM to want to encourage innovation within their organizations, supply-chain, partnerships, and consumers of their products and services.

Yet, they are bound by legalism, corporate codes, human-resource policy, and the sheer challenge of simply sorting through the mountainous barrage of email, mail, and SPAM hitting their organizations on a daily basis. But, that's not all. Large organizations are also impacted by the fact that they might have multiple divisions. And, in many cases, these organizations do not communicate with each other very well --if, at all.

I began my search through their site to try to initiate a discourse with HUGE to submit my big idea. As I drilled down past the qualifying page describing if I had a big idea, my excitement waned as I found myself reading the HUGE company's request that I figure out which of their vast organizations would be the best fit for my idea, then to figure out who to contact from there. My approach felt more and more nebulous, rather than more and more defined. Then, I found a form! Ah Ha! Perhaps this was the magic bullet to cut the corporate-crap and get to the heart of the matter: how to submit my BIG IDEA to this wonderful company!

Here is the form, with the company name changed to "HUGE" and other detailed information omitted or edited to protect the innocent (including me!):

"IDEA SUBMISSION AGREEMENT

HUGE and its affiliates, including without limitation HUGE USA and its divisions, subsidiaries and affiliates (collectively, “we” or “us”) understand that you have an idea, proposal concept, project or transaction (“idea”) that you think will be of interest to us. You should realize that an idea that is new to you may be old to us, or may be in the public domain, or already in a planning or development stage by us. Thus we have found that good business practice requires a full explanation of the conditions under which we can review your idea."

1. NO OBLIGATIONS
I cannot reprint this exact clause. However, suffice it to say that HUGE is outlining that they are not under obligation to use your idea, nor are they under obligation of an agreement should it be previously submitted or considered by them.

Blog post editor's comments: This means that HUGE doesn't have to use your idea. That seems fair enough. It also means that HUGE might use your idea and they are not bound to you if they use it. Does that seem fair to you?

2. LIMITED RIGHTS TO YOUR IDEA

This clause, while I cannot reprint the exact wording, states that your intellectual property is protected under patent, trademark, and copyright law. It also stated that consideration of your big idea submission in no way impairs their right to contact the validity of your intellectual property.

This gives HUGE the right to contest your patent, trademark, and/or copyright should they decide they want to use your idea. This clause limits YOUR rights as idea submitter and broadens HUGE company's rights if or when they ever decide to use the idea or creatively "borrow' it. At least, that's how I read this. Call me paranoid.

3. NO COMPENSATION

Basically states that finder's fees, commissions, and so forth are not entitled.

This means that you're agreeing you won't be paid for HUGE bending down to hear your big idea. They're not agreeing to pay any fees for it at this time.

4. MISCELLANEOUS
This Idea Submission Agreement shall be construed and governed by the laws of the State of OMITTED without regard to its conflicts of laws rules. Any questions or disputes arising hereunder shall be exclusively resolved by either Federal or State courts situated in the State and County of OMITTED and you hereby submit to the jurisdiction of such courts.

This is a standard paragraph that means if you have to sue HUGE, it's going to be on their attorney's turf and in their home state. This is a legal disadvantage, in many cases, to the idea submitter. If I had to sue a company, I'd much prefer it to be in the State where MY company is incorporated than THEIR company's home state. Would you agree?

Your Acceptance of the Idea Submission Agreement

I acknowledge that no promises or representations either oral or written have been made to me by HUGE concerning my idea. Further, it is agreed that no change may be made in the Idea
Submission Agreement unless it is in writing and signed by both myself and HUGE. I have read
the Idea Submission Agreement set forth above. I agree to accept each of the conditions contained in the Idea Submission Agreement.

Brief Idea Description:___________________________________________________________
Signature:_____________________________ Address:__________________________________
Name (print):__________________________ Date:_________________________________ Phone:___________________________________
Email:___________________________________

Are you shocked in that I decided not to fill out this agreement. Maybe I'm just paranoid. Either that, or I hate forms. I'm not sure which is greater. I can certainly say that all of my enthusiasm to discuss my big idea with HUGE's CEO practically vanished after reading their Big Idea Submission Agreement. Yes, I'd still be excited to talk with him if he called me, but I stopped submitting my idea right there.

You see, I just find it extremely off-putting that HUGE would need a legal agreement to protect themselves and limit me in how I might approach them with a Big Idea. While it might satisfy the legal-eagles, it turns my entrepreneurial stomach and makes me yearn to sit across from HUGE company's CEO and ask him "How did it get to this?"

This agreement is actually a "nice" version of these corporate agreements. I actually felt it was the most kind and least limiting of agreements I've seen of agreements of this nature. That's right, I've seen worse. This is the fifth agreement like this I've either received directly or reviewed at a corporate website in the past 6 months. It seems to be a growing trend among corporations like HUGE. Is your own corporation utilizing an agreement like this?

You must realize that I cease to submit when you send me this agreement.

Why? Because I see it like this:

If I agree to this statement, I may have just limited my rights. I may have given you permission to use my big idea without compensation, recourse, and even given you the right to challenge my copyright in writing, which to some extent might be construed as inviting such challenge. this agreement makes me feel that my idea is not protected except by copyright or trademark law, may not be kept confidential, and may be used without any compensation to me, even though you might benefit enormously from implementing my idea. I realize that you didn't say OUTRIGHT that you would pirate my idea, but having an agreement LIMIT my protection of my idea, rather than PROTECT my idea, seems in YOUR best interest and not in MY best interest. And, that's counter-productive to the entrepreneurial process.

Disclaimer: I am not an attorney and I am NOT providing LEGAL ADVICE.

This post is for entertainment purposes only and merely to help entrepreneurs see the value in protecting their ideas. If you have a legal matter or wish to submit an idea to a corporation requiring you to sign a similar agreement, I strongly suggest you seek your own legal counsel.

That said, I welcome anyone with a law degree to tell me whether or not this agreement is as binding as I've outlined in this post. Is the agreement fair to the entrepreneur? I'm curious to get your take at it. Because, to me, signing an agreement like this is counter-productive to the experience of building a relationship where I'm excited to share my big idea.

If you're an entrepreneur with a BIG IDEA, how do you feel about signing such an agreement? It seems as if, more and more, the Idea Submission Agreement is becoming an obstacle to sharing your idea with corporations.

Please, discuss - I welcome your feedback and comments.

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Post by Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions.

ARRiiVE Business Solutions helps executives improve sales, launch products and services, and build dynamic, cross-functional collaborative teams. For more information, contact info (at)ARRiiVE (dot) com or call us at 1 (805) 459-6939.

Copyright © 2007 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. Reprinting of the agreement included some minor modifications. HUGE is a fictional company name intended to protect the larger company name's copyright and trademark. No copyright infringement is intended. You may republish this article only if you publish in WHOLE with the COPYRIGHT and ALL ACTIVE LINKS intact.

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Fear or Love?

Today, I spoke with a woman who has offered collaborative leadership team building coaching since 1970. She seemed quite "grounded" and centered in her approach to business and life. She was sharing her past, then I was sharing my model, business structure ideas, and collaboration tools I'm developing. We shared together for about an hour, when all of a sudden the conversation seemed to shift.

To what, you might ask?

To LOVE. She spotted the fact that I CARE DEEPLY about seeing organizations SHIFT.

And the challenge we started talking about is the biggest concern I have with anything I do at AspireNow or here with ARRiiVE Business Solutions:

How do we get organizations to STOP RULING WITH FEAR and START RULING WITH LOVE?

Isn't this our concern when entering new environments? Are they ruling with Fear or Love?

I've been employed in organizations whose leadership team literally made jokes about firing people on a weekly basis. Can you imagine that? I've been in environments where they talked about people hitting their goals or "the bosses would shut the place down" and lock the doors. Guess what? They NEVER DID shut the place down! It was just a fear-based message to try to motivate people.

I remember saying to that manager, "Fear doesn't inspire me. Love, on the other hand, DOES inspire me." He softened a little after that. The next boss sat there, smiling at the team, saying "I am here to help you succeed, make more money, and do good things for the team." The following day he told me, in confidence, that the entire team had to go, because they weren't typical for that industry (meaning, they wanted to stand for ethical business). His new methods involved using bait-and-switch tactics, something I don't condone. He lasted five months, before they brought in the next guy (who was worse, I'll add). This continued to get worse and worse until, finally, I got the heck out of there!

What was the final straw? I came back from vacation and my new boss (called affectionately by my peers, "Hitler") actually had the gall to accuse me of "not caring" about my work or being "lazy" because I'd been on vacation, took one sick day, and subsequently had surgery on an infected toe. This, all in one month. Of course, the day he accused me of these things, I was there at work, with my toe wrapped up in a bandage, on vicadin medicine just to get through the pain, doing my job. The only reason I was wanting to leave early was because I'd been invited to a wedding and it was incredibly important to several people that I be there at that wedding. He had approved my leaving early, then changed his mind as I was walking out the door! When I pointed out that I'd taken a larger share of responsbility than any other person there (I had the numbers to prove it) he told me to "get the hell out of there" and he'd see to it that I never worked there again. Keep in mind that I was his #2 salesperson at the time of this altercation.

I'll never forget how loving they were at the wedding. I said to my partner: I've never seen a more obvious example of the difference between fear and love in all my life!

The upper management later invited me back, "Hitler" later apologized, but it was too late. I never went back -- MY choice.

The type of environment described above is very toxic. At the point when I left that organization, my nerves were shot, I would wake at 3:00 a.m. in a sweat after a nightmare, and started grinding my teeth. It got ugly. If you are in an environment like this, I will encourage you to leave. Make sure you have a strategy to make money so that you don't go broke or hit hard times. But get out of there. Jobs and vocations DO EXIST where you CAN get treated right and make great money. Either start your own company or take one of those jobs. I believe that, ultimately, we'll make more money, and live longer, if we're happier and more loving.

We need to stand up for our right to BE LOVED AT WORK and TREATED WITH RESPECT FOR OUR CONTRIBUTIONS!

Why am I bringing this up? Because I believe we are spiritual beings. We are emotional beings. We are not intellectual robots who don't have feelings. Corporations must embrace this if they are to reinvent and become GREAT. It's what's required of executives to truly begin empowering their people: they must embrace both POSITIVE EMOTION and LOVING SPIRIT as part of the collective work experience.

I've been a believer for quite some time that powerful organizations have VISION. They ask better QUESTIONS. And they take ACTION. I used to describe this as VQA. But I'm going to go a step further and share that we need to add an "L" to the acronym. What does the "L" stand for? L-O-V-E. We need VQAL to have true success.

Does LOVE belong in the workplace?

Think about it. Which boss do you love the most? The boss who frequently threatened to fire you, or the boss who treated you special, listened to you, showed you respect, and led you to greatness through being a coach and a partner in your challenges? Tough question, huh!?

Which employees INSPIRE you the most?

Usually, they're the people who are most PASSIONATE or offer the most SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE. Am I right?

The people at work who've inspired me the most made me laugh. They hit numbers. They did it without lying or cheating. How? By being exceptional. My good friend, Grant Stellwagen, is the greatest salesperson I've ever met. What makes Grant such a great salesperson? First of all, he's funny. Second, he's sharp as a tack. Third, he understands the techniques of selling better than anyone else I know. He knows you have to give clients gifts to build stronger relationships. He knows you have to be creative and surprise people. He understands that you must ask intelligent questions to determine a prospect's needs. And he adds value and offers something different on every call.

Grant also knows that you can't win them all, but if you keep planting, watering, and fertilizing seeds, it is inevitable that at some point you'll grow some plants that will bear fruit. And he grew more fruit than anyone else at my company. To the tune of millions of dollars, in fact.

The last time I saw Grant, he and I stayed up until 2:00 a.m. talking in the hotel lounge and sharing ideas about what we felt was exciting about life at that time. I still remember that talk like it was yesterday. He showed me that he cared about me, my ideas, and what I was up to at that company. That's inspiring, isn't it?

Who inspires you?

I bet they are smart, fun, and loving.

If you're an executive reading this article, can I encourage you to put aside the old fear-based methods and embrace new ways to build more LOVE in your organization? It really is a better way.

In personal life, I will say that LOVE is the answer to what we're looking for.

Is it any different in business? In business, LOVE is the answer, too.
__________________________________

Post by Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions.

ARRiiVE Business Solutions helps executives improve sales, launch products and services, and build dynamic, cross-functional collaborative teams. For more information, contact info (at)ARRiiVE (dot) com or call us at 1 (805) 459-6939.

Copyright © 2007 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. You may republish this article only if you publish in WHOLE with the COPYRIGHT and ALL ACTIVE LINKS intact.

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7 Ways To Build A Massive E-Mail Marketing List

You can have what you want if you have the right list. Join me today for a very special broadcast with Jen Blackert (www.JenBlackert.com), author, coach, speaker, and professional podcaster, who will be sharing her secrets to BUILDING A LIST THAT ROCKS: 7 Ways to Build a Massive E-Mail Marketing List! With an email list in the thousands, Jen ought to know how to build both an online and offline list to get what you want out of your blog, podcast, or website. She will describe practical and useful methods she's used herself to build a successful email marketing list. As a marketing guru who is also a Law of Attraction success coach, Jen will offer us some of her insights that normally would cost $87.00 to purchase on her CD learning program or even more to hear her speak in person.

Join us by calling: 724-444-7444 (enter i.d. 37798) or going to http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=37798&cmd=tc on the Web to Chat and Talk Live, or to hear the rebroadcast if you miss the show.

Post by Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions.

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The Demise of the Dreaded Office Cubicle - Modern Approaches to Office Design

Cubicle offices are a downer, don't you agree? With wireless networking, we are now starting to see more and more the demise of the cubicle office environments.

In reading an article at Wired Magazine, entitled, "Sorriest Looking Cubicles" the thought occurred to me, "there are NO GOOD OFFICE CUBICLES. All cubicles SUCK! They are ALL sorry-looking!"

Picture (above) from Fotolia under license.

Have I struck a nerve?


Okay, for the C-level managers at companies like DELL, IBM, HP, Google, Time-Warner, AT&T, and just about every other major corporation in existence, they'll probably read this and go "oh my God, how can he say that?" because, you see, the top officers from most companies in the world (at least, the USA) WANT you to like working in cube farms. After all, it lowers their cost of office space. And, believe me, from an Human Resources and Facilities level, Sq. Foot per employee IS an important cost factor at most companies.



But, as both an employee, and as a manager, I've never liked cubicle environments. At least, not for salespeople and creative types. I've put together a list of the problems and possible remedies, here.


The top 7 reasons cubicle environments drain your productivity:



1. I can't hear myself think in a cube farm. Too many other people are talking around me, and their discussions are highly distracting to me working at optimum level. Yes, I'm auditory, and only about 20 - 30% of your workforce is auditory. But, that's 25% of your team who is impacted by the noise/disruption factor.

2. It is impossible to have a focused high-level conversation from a cubicle environment. The CEO will tell the sales team: yes, sell high, sell wide, and you'll have better results selling. I agree. But HOW are your top salespeople (or bottom salespeople, who aspire to become top salespeople) going to get there when they can't focus or hear their conversations? I recall my earliest days selling at Businessland: when I had to make outgoing prospecting calls, I did them from the CONFERENCE ROOM. Why? Because people would walk by my cube and yell things, or conversations would make it hard to hear my critical selling conversations. The problem isn't just outgoing calls, though, as what can you do when a CEO or important prospect returns your call? When you're in a cube, the answer is NOTHING.

3. Privacy doesn't exist in cubicle environments. For people who like to operate in stealth mode, privacy is critical. This can be true for your key developers, idea people, and others who might need more security. There is no security in a cubicle environment.

4. Absence of life! I also can open my sliding window and smell the fresh air - something absent from most corporate environments. How many corporate cube farms have plants of any kind within them? You'll notice lots of cartoons, as employees fight to keep their sanity in a cube farm. I suggest planting more real plants in portable, potted containers.

5. Lack of natural light. Cubicles block natural light. False light has been proven to cause an increase in depression. Depressed employees are less productive. I guess people forget this common sense when planning their offices. How many offices have rows of fluorescent lighting overhead, the little square ceiling tiles that cover the acres of cabling running overhead, and below that is spaced the little crammed-in cubicles that people are supposed to gratefully spend all these hours slaving away for their company? I'll tell you the truth: MOST OF THEM. It's disgusting, how few companies have made the small investment into natural lighting. In my home office, I have installed natural lighting wherever possible, and use my blinds from windows that face the ocean to control my lighting throughout the day. Now, while today is foggy, most days are sunny. I happen to LOVE the sun! How about you?



6. Class-system enforced through square-footage. If the CEO has the large corner office with the conference room, administrator, and special teleconferencing system installed, and you're in a 4x6 cubicle, with one little area for your books, a picture frame, and two filing cabinets, what does this say about your position versus the CEO's position? While I agree that the CEO may have different needs and different visitors to their office, nevertheless there ought to be an office for salespeople and creative types, too. If you want to create a paradigm-shift in how you structure your company, and go from top-down to inside-out (see the Diamond-Circle model I've created and offer consulting to implement), well, you can't do it if you're stuck in the old class systems.



7. A door gives privacy, security, comfort. Cubicles have no door! Talk about the perennial open-door policy. In evaluating every company I worked where I made sales, I experienced my greatest success when I had an office with a door that closed and windows to the outside world. When I didn't have the door and windows, I maintained my success by spending 8 - 12 hours per week working from my home office, even before it was widely accepted to do so.



So, these are the top reasons why cube farms drain productivity.



However, with the advent of "wireless" technology, there is good news for office workers:


According to an article from GovTech.com: The American worker hasn't had much to celebrate lately. Wages and salaries are declining, benefits are getting the ax, unions are struggling. But there's one workplace development likely to bring joy to more than a few: The demise of the dreaded office cubicle.

What's happening in office spaces is actually a bit encouraging: major corporations, like Capital One, Google, and others, are leading a revolution in office-space design. Spaces are becoming more open, more collaborative, even, dare I say it: more ALIVE.


Do you want suggestions for ways to improve your corporate environment?


1. Drop the walls. In environments where people NEED to communicate fast and need the interaction, consider lowering the cubicle walls. This creates a natural space where people can interact together. Another way to deal with walls are to create louvred walls, that can be raised or lowered depending upon the circumstance. According to the GovTech article, employees at CapitalOne found they had 87% more productivity when they dropped the walls. Instead of emailing back and forth, they could simply talk to each other. Certain environments - especially customer support and call center types of environments, thrive with an open room format.


2. Build different offices. Where you have salespeople and creative people who need to be most effective, offer more space for these people to get quality work done. I suggest a small office for a desk, two chairs, a filing cabinet, and a bookcase, at minimum, for basic offices, then a series of conference rooms that facilitate collaboration. Offer employees the ability to book conference rooms for various team activities and customer-related activities. Create entire centers to spark creativity and design collaboration with customers into your environment.


3. Create revolving-offices. Offer "revolving offices" for people who come and go from remote locations and home-office environments. Just make sure you have the correct number of offices to people. The only way you can know this is to measure the amount of people, the number of hours, and divide by offices. In fact, you might go a step-further and load balance, depending upon PEAK usage.



4. Offer creative "home-office" options. I've always liked having an office to go to, but I also love working from home, because it is the quietest place to work, in my experience. I get the most done there, and can complete most of my tasks in that time, alone, when working for a company. Now that I run my own operation, I still love working from a home-office. This is a good option for companies, because they save a considerable amount on square-footage. Just make sure you create the revolving office for people to work out of when they DO come in to the office.



5. Bring in more "home-style" furniture. I remember visiting Google's office headquarters in 2002. It seemed innovative at the time to see lava lamps and bean bag chairs in Google's corporate headquarters. But, really, I think this is how offices used to be, way back. They got away from it, with cube farms. An office will make you more relaxed and comfortable (read: more productive) if you have more natural furniture to work from. Make sure you have some "comfort" pieces around the office, and make sure your chairs support healthy posture.



6. Consider collaborative spaces. How do kids collaborate? In a play room? At recess? Around conference tables? Why not create similar work environments for your teams?


Additional ideas include the following:



7. Convert fluorescent lighting to natural lighting.


8. Install skylights.


9. Create an outdoor workstation environment as much as possible.


10. Offer more security for employees (lockers, files, etc.).


11. Bring in more natural plants that can live in limited lighting environments.


12. Take brainstorming sessions to a remote environment. Create brainstorming session areas within your office space, if possible.

It is important to take into consideration HOW your team works. Do you need some people left alone? Do you want others collaborating? Do you want some alone sometimes, collaborating other times? You'll need a variety of spaces to accommodate each of these needs.



The cubicle, to me, offers the least attractive office-space option. It isn't very flexible, it is loud, and yet you can't collaborate easily with anyone. If you haven't done it yet, consider dropping the cubicles out of your office environment, create more open space, more "alive" space, and more flexible office space, and see if you don't discover a boost in productivity.



If you have additional ideas on ways organizations can improve work conditions, please contribute your comments (below).


________________________________


Post by Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions.


For more information, contact info (at) ARRiiVE (dot) com, visit ARRiiVE.com, or call us at 1 (805) 459-6939.

Copyright © 2007 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. References in this article to an article © 2006, The Philadelphia Inquirer. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via Newscom. No violation of trademark or copyright intended. All Rights Reserved. You may republish this article only if you publish in WHOLE with the COPYRIGHT and ALL ACTIVE LINKS intact.

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7 Food Service Challenges

I've got several friends who run restaurants, and frequently entrepreneurs launching a restaurant ask my company for help with designing their logo, business cards, writing a business plan, training salespeople and, especially, raising money. Food service establishments are not the easiest to fund, because of several factors. Yet, if you can show me a business with more passionate owners, I'd like to see them!

Why is this? I'd say it is because we love to eat, and as much as we love to eat, many people love to cook good food. I even have my own dream to have a restaurant some day in the future. Why? I love food, I enjoy entertaining, and I love the dining experience - when it is done right.

Most GOOD restaurants are owned by people who love people and/or love food. Usually, both.

But, today, even the good small restaurants are running into challenges. What's going on?

I decided to take a closer look at the food service industry and open the kimono and share what I've discovered for those in other industries to gain insights from the food service industry. And, as you'll see, much of it isn't pretty. Is it all bad? No, of course not. Between 1970 and 2000, the food-service industry reported a compound annual growth rate of 7.5%, which outpaces most other businesses in America. But those statistics do not show the recent changes in business facing restaurant owners -- especially small restaurant owners -- over the past FIVE years.

I do want to illuminate the challenges facing food service operators, though, and review them here (please let me know if I've missed any):

1. Raising money. Food-service industry struggles to obtain funding. Restaurants are on a "grey" list for most banks to loan money. Why? Because restaurant owners frequently default on their loans, simple as that. According to the US Small Business Administration, 27% of restaurants fail in their first year, alone. Statistics like are a bit staggering. So, before you even get started trying to get money, the ghosts of Christmas' past, even those you weren't a part of, offer somewhat less access to money.

2. Locations. Restaurants are often slave to their location. How many times have you heard the key to a restaurant's success is "location, location, location"? I'll add to it "an excellent ambiance, lively experience, excellent food, at reasonable prices, along with great service" as also dictating success. Pick a great location, the business can thrive. Pick a poor location, God only knows how successful you'll be. High traffic, access to parking, proximity to crops and food supply, visibility, and more all determine how successful a given location will be at drawing and holding a clientele. From what I've studied, even factors like Feng Shui may influence the success of restaurant location. Besides retail, show me a business more dependent upon the RIGHT location -- I'm not sure there is a business more dependent upon location than the restaurant industry.

3. Rising costs. Prices are soaring on food products. According to Ken Burgin, the costs of dairy have SOARED in the past year: "Some dairy prices have increased 50%, soy bean and corn prices have jumped, and let's not start on seafood, beef and green vegetables. Why? Asia's rising affluence and demand, increasing use of ethanol in fuel (often made from grain products), and drought in many parts of the world. But the reasons don't help reduce the squeeze on your margins." Agreed.

If prices go up 50% and your menu only goes up 25%, guess what? You just might be upside down. According to Douglas R. Brown in The Restaurant Manager's Handbook, most restaurants must maintain a food cost between 25% to 40% in order to achieve profitability.

For example, if you sold $100,000 in food for one month, and your food cost was $40,000, then your food cost was 40% of your total revenue. Using a recipe and procedure manual, you can determine the cost of each portion or serving of food that your restaurant offers.

If you are to determine what to charge for food, according to Brown, you use this formula:

Portion Cost (Food Cost)/Menu Prices*100= 25% - 40%

If the portion costs have risen by 50% to 80% and you don't raise menu prices accordingly, then you'll lose the percentage on the right side of this formula that ensure your profitability. You might be thinking, "So, I'll just raise my prices, then." Well, with the jump in food cost happening so quickly, the consumer may boycott the restaurant that raises prices so dramatically in such a short time. In that event, the restaurant who maintains proper price adjustment MAY actually be penalized by perceived high cost of their menu.

4. Compliance issues. Compliance issues with handicap access and other compliance codes are costing restaurants, big-time. On the Central Coast, where I live, one gentleman (if you could call him that) went around suing EVERY RESTAURANT he entered, on the basis of handicap access discrimination. The result? Some restaurants closed their doors, others underwent very expensive retrofitting for their elevator and wheel-chair ramps to be compliant with the law. It's a costly endeavor, from what I've seen, often impacting the restaurant by thousands of dollars. Many restaurant owners don't have access to that type of working capital and a small restaurant, especially, will be hit hard by such a lawsuit. Additional costs in benefits with health care and sick leave benefits have also impacted the industry.

5. Labor cost. After initial studies on hiking the minimum wage stating that it would not affect the restaurant industry, nothing could be further from the truth. A recent NRA survey indicates that the hike of minimum wage indeed caused operators to raise their prices, as well.

The cost of wages has increased 35% to minimum wage and wages, in general, need to be higher than that if you are to attract and keep good health. Minimum wages alone have grown from $5.75 to $7.50 during just the past 5 years. That's a 158% jump in wage cost, per hour, per employee, that is very real money to most small restaurant owners. In a recent study by Aaronson and Eric French examined government-collected price data. In a series of studies over the last four years, Aaronson and French show that a 10 percent hike in the minimum wage increased restaurant prices on the whole by 0.7 percent, and prices at limited service (fast food) establishments by 1.6 percent. Does this labor cost reflect the whole of damage to the restaurant industry? At the least, we see higher prices, but do prices need to increase MORE than the .7 percent as a result of labor cost increases? This is the question that remains unanswered.

More than this, it is a HUGE challenge for restaurant owners to get employees to report the correct amount of money in tips to the IRS. Why does this matter? Well, in the United States, the landmark case of The United States v. Fior d'Italia, Inc, 01-463, in June of 2002, the Supreme Court ruled that the IRS can ESTIMATE the amount of cash tips based upon the amount of tips shown on credit card receipts. This ruling can impact the FICA taxes for a restaurant.

6. Impact of health reports. The cost of maintaining good health. A restaurant in Calistoga received a health report of "C" which provoked press visits, health inspections, and costs of over $1,000 for a new report. In addition, the additional preparation to raise the health report to an "A" added to thousands. Plus, we're seeing more and more food scares with products like "Mad-Cow beef," the "spinach-scare," and other health-related problems. These scares present a serious impact to food-service businesses.

7. Customer Service training costs. The cost of training employees for service. Although this cost was overlooked by most people in all of my research, it certainly is not lost to me. In San Luis Obispo County, I've noticed a significant drop-off in service from the restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area. Why? Perhaps the standards are higher, but it just seems to me that there seems to be a small-town attitude that patrons ought to be thankful they were served at all in this county! Not good, if you ask me. It took me the better part of a year to "get used to" the poor service at various hospitality establishments. In addition, I've tended to gravitate to the establishments who I know train on service and seem to value my time. What is the cost of your service? Are your people trained on salesmanship and how to present food in a pleasurable and successful way for both guest and restaurant management? This is vital to the restaurant's success. The question I'd pose to you is "can you afford NOT to train your employees?"

What are solutions for restaurants who want to THRIVE, not merely SURVIVE?

I've put together a list of solutions for restaurants who want to go from SURVIVE to THRIVE(sales mark for ARRiiVE Business Solutions), and increase revenues and profits through intelligent responses to the challenges outlined above:

1. Cost-balance your menu. If you have high-cost items, you might suggest a sales script that pairs these items with lower-cost items to balance your overall margin. I've utilized this profit mechanism more than once in my own sales past.

2. Control Portion Costs. Make sure your estimated portion costs are matching the end-of-month portion costs. If your employees are eating all your profits, you might have to change policies. In High School, I held a job at Taco Bell. I recall a meeting one Saturday morning where the entire staff was called in for a meeting, and introduced to our new manager. The former manager had been fired. And, in that meeting, we were informed employees had been eating free and this would no longer continue. We would now be billed 50% for all of our meals. The restaurant went on to success as a result of changing their employee dining policy, which clearly had impacted their portion costs prior to this change.

3. Evaluate your supply chain. Determine if there are wasted steps or waste in food delivery throughout your supply chain. One restaurant in Calistoga was dinged on their health report from a supplier who dropped potatoes on the ground in their haste. With the cost of preparing and ordering a health report in excess of thousands for preparation and $1,000+ for the report, it is wise to eliminate anything that could cause waste.

4. Implement a Health Plan. On the subject of health reports, implement a plan that ensures health report success, and monitor it monthly. If you blow a health report it could cost you in both repair costs, a poor press review, and worse-yet: customers who read or hear about it and never return.

5. Utilize the down-sell. If someone isn't interested in a main dish, try offering them two smaller dishes and desert. The cost to the restaurant may be less, and the impact to the overall ticket minimal. Down-sells can be an effective way to keep your customers happy and offer highest profit-margin items as a contribution to your bottom line.

6. Utilize the up-sell. If your waiters give a check without suggesting a desert item, they're missing the up-sell. Most restaurants train their waiters and waitresses to ask if customers want desert. If yours doesn't, implement it immediately. However, you can go beyond desert. An excellent waiter will offer suggestions for "table-appetizers" or "starters" to build clever conversation and a more enjoyable meal. In addition, the smart waiter will maximize drink orders by suggesting fun and enjoyable beverages. Your staff ought to be trained on options for up-selling customers and presenting them in unique and entertaining ways.

7. Offer healthy-choice options. In this world of fatty foods, it still amazes me how many restaurants don't designate certain dishes as "healthy" in terms of lower cholesterol or saturated fat. I recall a restaurant in San Francisco which featured some rich Italian food ALSO offered a little heart picture by the capellini, and other lighter-fare pastas and salads. Some of these dishes can also maximize your profit margin, which, to me, makes a lot of sense.

If you're seeking additional ways to improve your sales and marketing for your restaurant, consider utilizing experts at improving sales and marketing. We take pride in helping customers improve their image, get funding, and train staff for better salesmanship. Or, if you seek to impact operational ideas to build more revenue and profit into your operation's bottom line, consider utilizing an outside agency or consulting firm to help you spot opportunity that otherwise might slip through the cracks.

We love seeing restaurants create enjoyable, entertaining, healthy, and successful dining experiences. If you have additional ideas on challenges facing the food service industry (as well as possible solutions) please either contact me directly or use our comment form, below.
__________________________________

Post by Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions.

ARRiiVE Business Solutions helps executives improve sales, launch products and services, and build dynamic, cross-functional collaborative teams. For more information, contact info (at)ARRiiVE (dot) com, visit ARRiiVE , or call us at 1 (805) 459-6939.

Copyright © 2007 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. You may republish this article only if you publish in WHOLE with the COPYRIGHT and ALL ACTIVE LINKS intact.

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Seven Keys To Selling Success

Are you a salesperson who desires to overachieve your quota? Or, are you an entrepreneur seeking ways to improve your percentage of sales success?

Here are the seven keys to sales success that will ensure you will blow your quota away year after year:

1. Double your GOAL. Have a planned quota or goal to achieve? Now double it. Set your goal as double or triple whatever your boss told you to sell. People tend to miss their own goals - on average, they only hit about 80% of the goal. Therefore, your goal needs to be higher than your manager's goal for you. If you are in business for yourself, take your sales goal that you know you need to sell to make money, and triple it. Strive for that goal, rather than the break-even goal. You're in business to make money, not lose it, right?

2. Deliver what you promise. There is something known as "vaporware" in the software industry. It refers to selling something that doesn't exist. If you're selling "vaporware" your customers won't buy again - and they won't refer you to anyone else. That will spell doom for your business. Sell something real, something you know you can deliver, and sell it honestly. You'll build customers for life.

3. Offer what you can deliver right now. Don't sell futures. Many companies make the mistake of selling the product they're announcing next year. Well, is that going to put money in your pocket today? Probably not. Sell what you have. It will keep the cash flow coming in.

4. Build relationships, not orders. Many managers are always focused on the order. What are you forecasting this month? Which order will close? Etc. It's all about the numbers. But what brings in the order is building a relationship, first. If the relationship is in place, when the order is needed it will be easier to ask for. Believe me. If you ask for the order but haven't earned it, you will lose respect. And respect is a salesperson's #1 sign of credibility. Focus on your customer's needs, and problems they are trying to solve. Then figure out ways to solve those problems with your company resources. You'll get more orders, you'll determine new services and products you might sell, and you'll build a relationship that will provide numbers for longer than alternative approaches.

Network DEEP and WIDE. Build relationships 4x4 = Pick four departments which you absolutely must penetrate in order to grow sales with a company, then get to know four people in those departments really well. Don't worry about selling them, at first, just build a relationship. As each of these sixteen learn to trust you over time, they will send business your way because they will know you offer real solutions to their needs.

5. Use REFERRAL-BASED SELLING. As you meet one person, always ask if there are one or two other people who rely on them for advice and who could possibly use your product or service. Often, people won't say anything at first. But when you say, well, if not in your company, how about another company outside your industry (the people they know are usually in related industries)... at this point, they'll usually come up with two or three names more easily. Follow through with these people immediately, and report back to the original person the progress you made. This lets them know you valued their advice and used your network wisely. This is the single most useful selling "trick" anyone ever taught me. Networking. It's not who you know, but who you know who knows who.

6. Keep some in reserve. I used to have a Director of Sales who jokes "you open the cage, throw in some meat, and slam the door back shut before the lion bites the hand that fed it!" Well, it is important to "feed the lions." And yes, the lions DO have a "what have you done for me lately attitude" even when they're smiling and patting you on the back for your stellar month. When you have orders coming in like crazy, stall the booking of orders where you can do so without losing credibility. (Yep, sandbagging is a form of job-protection.) The reason you should do this is to always have some left in case of a rainy day. Don't lose the customer or the order, just make sure that you always have a slab of meat to throw in the lion's cage at the end of each month. This keeps the lions happy.

7. Spend your time wisely. First, how much time are you in the office versus in front of customers? The salespeople who are in front of customers the most learn the most, and sell the most. A key to keeping fresh over the long run is to remember that your customer is not just a friend. They're supposed to buy something, at some point... if they're off the path for your success, spend your time elsewhere for a while. Sometimes, people get so focused on the business plan, writing the perfect email, or spending time in the relationships where they feel comfortable they forget to make to meet new people or they forget to make the sale.

Again, in summary:

1. Work your plan - double your manager's goals for you, or double your sales figures.

2. Deliver what you promise.

3. Offer what you can deliver today.

4. Build relationships, not orders. Build 4x4 relationships.

5. Use your network. Keep people informed. Use referral-based selling. A warm call is almost always better than a cold call.

6. Keep some in reserve.

7. Spend time wisely. Time is our biggest resource -- and our smallest. Use it well and make the sell.

Follow these seven keys and watch your funnel grow.

__________________________________



Post by Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions.

ARRiiVE Business Solutions helps executives improve sales, launch products and services, and build dynamic, cross-functional collaborative teams. For more information, contact info (at)ARRiiVE (dot) com, visit ARRiiVE.com, or call us at 1 (805) 459-6939.

Copyright © 2007 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. You may republish this article only if you publish in WHOLE with the COPYRIGHT and ALL ACTIVE LINKS intact.

Note: you need to SUBSCRIBE HERE to stay in the loop on articles like this.