Thursday, 4 December 2008

Maintaining a solid sales network

Attracting and maintaining a solid sales network today is the foundation to tomorrow's success. Your net worth is interdependent on your sales network. The more people you know, or who know you, the bigger and more solid your sales network will be.Because people buy from, and refer people to, people they know and they trust, you will find that your success will come from your sales network. So, what can you do to attract and maintain a solid sales network?To attract a sales network you first need to clearly identify your market, your ideal prospect based on your best customers and their profile. Paint the picture of your ideal prospect, the type of customer / prospect that you would like to see in your sales network. If you can't see them, you cannot attract them into your life.Then you need to come up with creative ways of attracting them, engaging them, creating a relationship and then maintaining that relationship for an ongoing solid sales network.When is comes to attracting or building a solid sales network, your objective is not to sell them something, but to acquire the trust to build and maintain a relationship that will turn into sales.Therefore, stop the selling, start attracting people into your sales network by showing interest in others by getting them talking about themselves, asking in depth questions, showing concern and listening empathetically.To attract prospects into your sales network, you need to be creative and do things differently from that of your competition.Ask yourself this question, "what can I do to position myself in the marketplace as an expert where prospects will come looking for me by name?" List out your creative answers.If you are not different you are the same as everyone else. To attract people into your sales network you need to be different.Let me help you out. Is it fair to say that you know more about yourself, your products and services or your organization than I do? Is it also fair to say that you can educate me on how to buy, generate savings, increase performance, etc. on the benefits of your products and services?Naturally the answer is yes to both of these questions because that is how you are probably selling and building your sales network today. Guess what, everyone else is doing that too. That is not how you build your sales network.What if you were to take what you know and reformat it in a way that is not a sales pitch, but and educational type article, seminar or talk where you give readers or participants added value trough how to tips.In the process you are positioning yourself as an authority, an expert and people will come looking for you by name. Your chasing after prospects to do business with you, will be replaced with being chased by prospects who want to buy from you.This is only one of many ideas. Take the time and brainstorm some ideas for yourself.What about a referral fee program? Remember any behavior that gets recognized or rewarded gets repeated.Do you collect and share testimonial letters? Third party stories and testimonials make a big difference. Are you a member of any network or non profit associations?What if you were to step up and be an active member, like the President, would more people know of you and buy from you? Would you attract more people into your sales network? It is in the effective giving that you gain effectively.

Tuesday, 18 November 2008

Developing a career in Sales & Marketing

Developing Your Career in Sales and Marketing
Developing your Career in Sales and MarketingMarketing is all the processes involved in the pricing, promotion and distribution of products and services to customers. Principal marketing functions precede the manufacturing of a product in a modern corporation. Usually, market research, product development, design, evaluation and testing and other important activities are involved. There are lots of career opportunities in marketing, as discussed in this article.Career Opportunities in MarketingMarket researchThe focus of market researchers is to study and know who buys what, when they buy it and the reason for such purchases. Anybody doing a career in market research focuses in understanding customers, both the existing and potential ones. The tools used in this category are surveys, questionnaires, buying trends, focus groups, sales data and census information. They ask questions about customers with an aim of providing a better product; identify potential marketable needs so as to increase sales and production. There is a focus on numbers, logic, statistics and projections in Market research.Marketing CommunicationsMarketing Communications professionals develop marketing messages and create sufficient communications to spread the messages. They do this with the use of brochures, annual reports, catalogues, newsletters, web site content, and others to affect marketing. A MarCom career person works closely with public relations department and may sometimes partly have public relational responsibilities. Other things involved in this career are writing press releases, developing and managing community relations programs, and other media works. Event Marketing An event marketer is focused on creating marketing opportunities during specific events to draw customers during such events. Events and festivals like trade shows, holidays or sporting events, fairs and concerts finds these career individuals setting up strategies for promotions. This is intended to draw large crowds and offer unique marketing opportunities. Event marketing professionals could also create their own special events to create sales opportunities. Marketing Sales/Business Development Those in the Marketing sales careers establish sales contacts, monitor the procurement activity of potential customers and clients and prepare business proposals for specific opportunities. Careers in marketing sales usually focus on a specific client or market sector. Some potential clients would like their proposals to be extensively and specifically tailored, as part of their process for selecting their vendors and suppliers. This is probably the case for governments and large organizations. As a marketing sales professional, one should be skilled in developing proposals that meet the specific requirements of clients while also positioning their company in the favorable light. It is also part of the marketing sales professional’s duty to identify potential clients, establish business relationships between the client and the company. Street Marketing All the street marketing professional does is to reach consumers in new and innovative ways. This may mean creating a buzz through billboards and street shows. Street marketing can be used to influence consumers in their very environment in favor of the advertised product. Street marketing professionals are always seen managing complex campaigns in multiple locations to reach large groups of people with their product or service. Brand Marketing A career in brand marketing focuses on creating and maintaining the kind of brand that will be an asset, great brands. Furthermore, brand marketing is all about creating standards for almost every aspect of the company’s image. All the Uniforms, packaging, letterhead, office space and every other physical representation of a company are what the brand marketer’s devices to give the company a known name. They design the standards and insist the integrity of their brand is maintained. Good brand marketing career also focuses on issues like service delivery, customer expectations, crisis management as they affect the company’s brand. Strategic Marketing A strategic marketer is concerned with almost every aspect of the company’s business. They take good studies that will help them in strategizing on the product pricing, the standards for service delivery, company-client relationship, and firm’s market competition stratagems. The strategic marketing professionals make use of both science and art to position their company with their customers. Building a career in strategic marketing involves knowledge of all other marketing specialties so as to develop long term marketing plans and oversee their execution and success.How to develop your skills and move up the career ladderTo develop your skills and move up the marketing career ladder involves being proactive in what you do. Build an impressive picture of yourself by developing those good qualities of a marketer. Basically, a good marketer should be persistent, goal setting, inquisitive, attentive, passionate, enthusiastic, responsible, hardworking, proxy (in touch) and show value.Building and developing a skill set, which you can use to sell yourself into your next level, should be your target as a marketer. However, here are other things you can do in order to assist the development of your skills to receive a promotion and move up the career ladder.Develop the Transferable SkillsExamples of these skills are communication, problem-solving, teamwork, negotiating and organizational skills. Developing and practicing these skills will propel you up the ladder of career success. Join an AssociationJoining an association or club is part of your networking that will boost your career. Joining a marketing association in addition, helps you get involved in activities from which you develop and learn new skills. You may even join non-work-related associations to help you build a network and get involved in things outside your daily routine.Get a Mentor or SupervisorThey should be people who have made it in that field. You need people to monitor your progress and help you develop the skills you want to build. Tell them about what you want to improve on, so that they can coach and manage your learning. Newer Tasks and More ResponsibilitiesGet involved in new tasks, explore other marketing branches. This will increase your chances of learning new skills. You can even volunteer for jobs outside your marketing specialty. This will impress your boss and add new skills to you. Do a Professional Qualification, get certifiedThere are very many professional certification programs in marketing and other related fields. For example, get the CIMA professional qualification for marketing or the human relations CIPD yes, it involves some hard work, but you will gain the professional knowledge that will push you up the career ladder.Attend Conferences, Workshops and SeminarsYou need to know the events going on in the marketing industry. When you attend Exhibitions and seminars, you will be free to talk to people, asking them questions, listening to others on issues faced in the marketing industry. You will also meet Industry leaders with a lot of knowledge and years experience who usually take the seminars. They could bring you some inspiration. Attending marketing Conferences and workshops may cost some money to attend, but you will leave there with great ideas, networks and an increased zeal for your marketing career.

Finding sales jobs

Do you think you are a non stop vending machine that can’t stop selling no matter what? Do you feel as if you have been molded perfectly for sales? Well, then a sales job is the perfect thing for you.
‘Sales’ is one of the channels of business that will continue to exist as long as businesses do. It will never go extinct. It might just switch modes but the need for the salesman will always be constant.
For all those who wish to make a career in sales, it is crucial to have the right beginning. If you start off with the right company, it is half the battle won. But how do you find the right company?
Sales Jobs websites
The internet is the best place to begin hunting for the right sales jobs. The ever growing demand for sales jobs has led to a scenario where there is the need for job portals or websites that cater exclusively to sales.
These websites are different from normal job portals and have the best sales jobs listed in them. These websites have such an easy to use layout that even the most inexperienced web users can easily list their profiles and get contacted by thousands of potential employers.
Advantages:
Boost your resume and give it maximum exposure.
List your resume within minutes and be contacted by the cream of the corporate world.
Use the website services to garner your resume and improve its visibility.
Sit at home and list your resume. You no longer have to go hunting around for the best jobs. They come to you.
Most of these websites are free. Where else do you get services like these for free?
Go to www.salesrecruitmentjobsite.com for jobs in sales

Monday, 17 November 2008

Online job search

Web 2.0 has been refreshing. Everything is more precise and defined on the internet. Gone are the days when the internet was limited to a few million people around the world. Today it has literally invaded our lives. So if you are looking for jobs, then you know the best place to look for it. Yes, you got it right. The internet has several sales job sites that can find you the right job within minutes. The best part about it is that it’s easy and free.
Here are 5 reasons why you need an online sales job site in your career.
It will project your resume for sales jobs to hundreds of employers. Yes, everyday hundreds of employers browse through online job sites and the opportunities that await you are boundless.
It will tell you how many times your resume has been viewed and by whom. This gives you an idea about which employers are interested in hiring you.
It has millions of online sales jobs listed. All that you need to do is search. You can customize your search according to your preferences. If you prefer sales jobs in a particular geographical location or you have salary preferences, it can all be streamlined in the search.
Most websites will give you free tips on improving your CV. Using these tips, you will not only be able to improve your CV but also be able to update it any time you wish to.
Lastly, there are no charges involved. It’s all free of cost. So you have nothing to lose. But a whole new life to gain. So stop procrastinating and log on to an online sales job site now.
Visit www.salesrecruitmentjobsite.com for worldwide jobs in sales