The “Low Hanging Fruit” Formula to Increasing Sales

We know it takes time and preparation to find new prospects and turn them into clients. You have to network, market yourself, make calls, determine if they’re your ideal client, meet with them, close the sale, and follow-up. Instead of going out and looking for new business, there’s a huge opportunity to increase your business with your current clients.

To grow your sales, all you have to do is first look to the clients you have already sold. These clients are what we call your “low hanging fruit”.

They’re ripe and ready to be picked. Visualize a tree with delicious fruit hanging from the branches. Would you struggle and climb to the top of the tree, or would you easily pick the fruit hanging from the lowest branches? Of course, you would pick “the low hanging fruit” because it’s ripe, ready, and easy to pull off the branch.

It’s the same with a client. They’re ready and open to doing more business with you. You don’t have to work so hard. You’ve already proven yourself by delivering a quality product or service. They know, like, and trust you. You’ve established a strong client relationship because they can count on you. You now have the opportunity to introduce them to other products and services you offer.

Now that you’ve identified that your current clients are your “low hanging fruit,” here’s a 5-step formula to follow that will help you increase your business with them.

1. Ask for a meeting. After a project has completed, ask to meet with the client to discuss the results of the project and some new ideas. If the client is satisfied with the work you’ve done, the level of trust and quality of the relationship is solid. The client believes in you. You have proven yourself to the client, so getting a meeting with them is easy.
   
   
2. Ask for feedback on your product or service. Find out if the client is satisfied with the most recent project’s delivery and if they have any suggestions for improvement. Then ask what the company’s future needs are. If the client tells you there are no opportunities at this time, ask when would be good time to follow up. Before you leave the meeting, confirm the agreed-upon time you will be in touch. Staying in touch with the prospect keeps the door open for future business.
   
   
3. Ask for referral business. At the moment the client expresses satisfaction with your service, is the perfect time to ask for referral business, either within the company or outside the company. Say to the client, “I’m delighted you’re happy with our service. It’s been a pleasure working with you too. I was wondering if there’s anyone else you think would benefit from speaking to me?” Ask if they can give you the names then. If they cannot, set up a time in the next week to follow up for the names and phone numbers. Do not leave it up to them to call you because chances are they won’t.
   
   
4. Keep the client updated. Another way to stay visible is by keeping the client informed of new products, services, or programs, either developed by your company or that have recently come on the market. Your client will appreciate being informed of the latest cutting-edge products for their employees. This shows you’re thinking of ways to help the client and you’ll soon become their trusted partner.
   
   
5. Stay in touch. Your client may not have an immediate need for your services, but that can change. A “no” today can easily become a “yes” tomorrow. Remember, you’ve established a business relationship with the client. They know, like, and trust you. Stay visible by touching base with the client periodically via phone or e-mail.

© All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission from Rochelle Togo-Figa, Professional Sales Coach, is prohibited.

If you would like to use this article on your website, or for your own ezine, not a problem; however, there’s one thing you MUST include: Rochelle Togo-Figa, The Sales Breakthrough Expert, is the creator of the Sales Breakthrough System™, a proven step-by-step sales process that will help you close more sales, sign on more clients and make more money with ease and velocity. To sign up for her free sales articles and teleclasses on closing more sales, visit www.SalesBreakthroughs.com.

4 Simple Steps to Putting YOU First

Have you ever noticed how when you get busy in your business or your job, the first thing that gets dropped out is YOU!

I’m the first to say that I’m one of those people who has good intentions when it comes to taking care of me. I’m committed to living a ‘stress-free’ life so I like to work out 3 times a week. My plan is to get to the health club early 3 times a week, work out, and then back to work.

But when I get up, it’s as if a magnet is pulling me to my computer. I tell myself it will only take me a few minutes to check my emails and then off I’ll go to the health club. Yeah…right!

I open up my computer, read several emails that require a quick response, and then another and another. Before I know it, it’s already late morning or even afternoon before I get to work out. I may or may not make it to the health club. Once again taking care of me has dropped out. Sound familiar to you?

Often people are so immersed in growing their businesses; they put their personal needs on the back burner. It’s no surprise business owners get stressed out, worry about their future, and are exhausted at the end of the day. Although they may reach their goals, there’s a cost. Over time it takes a huge toll on their emotional and physical health.

One of the things Timothy Ferriss mentions in The 4-Hour Workweek is checking email twice per day, once at noon and 4 pm. He says to never check email first thing in the morning (I absolutely agree with him on this!). Instead, complete your most important task before 11 am. The most important task could be doing something for you. Because when you’re taken care of, you have more to give to your business and others. You can start making changes now by evaluating your lifestyle and deciding what you can do differently.

To get you started on the pathway to taking care of yourself, here are 4 steps to follow:

Step 1: Define what’s important to you...and WHY!

One major issue people experience is they don’t take time to determine what’s important to them and WHY. Many of us get caught in the reactive cycle of doing so many little things that seem critical, we lose sight of what we’re really trying to accomplish.

Simply setting aside an hour of uninterrupted time to truly define what you want for yourself can get you off to the right start.

Many of us already have loose conceptions of what we’d like to do: “I’d like to travel more” or “I want to make more money this year than I did last year.” But you need to more tightly define what you really want to accomplish and more importantly, why. It’s easy to lose sight of why we wanted to do it in the first place.

Step 2: List the activities you really want to do.

Are you filling up your calendar with work, organization, commitments and activities that don’t bring you joy? What about scheduling the activities you would love to do, but don’t think you have time to do?

Put activities that relax and energize you like exercise, reading, meeting a friend at Starbucks or having a manicure (yes, guys included too!) on your calendar first. Activities that nurture you are just as important as your business commitments.

Block out a few hours a week for you. Put yourself first as a priority. As the boss, we get to design our work schedule. I always take off Fridays, and to make sure I don’t forget, I type in bold letters on my Outlook calendar “Rochelle’s Day!” I get to do whatever I want to do on my day.

Every day when I open up my weekly calendar, I have Fridays to look forward to because it’s my special day. When you take time for yourself, you have more to give back to your business and the people in your life.

Step 3: Unclutter your life.

Look around your office. Is your desk covered with papers? Do you have sticky notes of things to do scattered everywhere? Do you have stacks of unread articles and magazines?
You can start taking care of yourself by uncluttering your life. Clutter can easily take over your life and drain you of energy.

Every time you look at a messy desk or stacks of papers, it’s draining your energy. Begin to open up your space, by organizing your physical space.

When I work with a client, one of the first things I request is that they clean off the top of their desk. Start to unclutter your space by setting aside a block of time on a weekly basis. Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to do it all at one time.

Set aside 30 minutes each week to clean off your desk, or discard those papers that have been sitting on your table for several weeks, or throw out those magazines stacked up on the floor.

When you open up a clean space, you’re allowing new opportunities to come to you.

Step 4: Acknowledge yourself.

It's important to acknowledge yourself for every accomplishment and victory, whether it's large or small. Too often we rush through life, thinking about the next thing to do rather than relishing in the glory of our achievements.

Each day, preferably at the beginning of the day, spend a few quiet minutes either writing down or reflecting on what you have accomplished. As a business owner, you’re accountable for everything that happens in your business—good and bad. Usually we’re quick to dwell in the failures and not acknowledge the successes.

A simple way to acknowledge you is to keep a journal and write down your accomplishments and successes. This way you'll get a real sense of how far you've come. Imagine how great you'll feel knowing you did this yourself!

Now that you know the steps to putting YOU first, you may be ready to get out there and start closing more sales. Some of the steps include moving through your fears, overcoming the money issue once and for all, getting paid what you’re worth, asking the right questions, handling objections, asking for the business, and closing the sale.

© 2008. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission from Rochelle Togo-Figa, Professional Sales Coach, is prohibited.

If you would like to use this article on your website, or for your own ezine, not a problem; however, there’s one thing you MUST include: Rochelle Togo-Figa, The Sales Breakthrough Expert, is the creator of the Sales Breakthrough System™, a proven step-by-step sales process that will help you close more sales, sign on more clients and make more money with ease and velocity. To sign up for her free sales articles and teleclasses on closing more sales, visit www.SalesBreakthroughs.com.

Speak Like a Pro and Make Money Doing It!

One of the fastest ways to attract clients is to become known as the expert by speaking to groups. Yet, most people would rather be pushed from an airplane than get up in front of a group and speak. No one was ever born a natural speaker. When you watch dynamic speakers, it may seem as if they deliver their speech effortlessly. The ease with which they deliver their speech is the result of many hours of preparing and rehearsing.

I spoke and lead two workshops at the International Window Coverings Expo. I loved speaking to the business owners, sharing my sales and marketing strategies to help them grow their businesses. Believe me; it wasn’t always this way for me. It wasn’t too long ago that the thought of getting up in front of a group paralyzed me. I laid awake many nights worried about how I’d come across. What would they think of me? What if they’re not interested in what I have to say? What if I forget what to say? After years of practice, preparation, and training, my confidence increased and I became an effective speaker.

Let’s take a look at the world of speaking and what the benefits are to you.

• When you become a speaker, you immediately elevate yourself in the eyes of the audience. They see you as the expert and this establishes instant credibility.
• You’re reaching more than one person and that increases the chances of more people interested in your service or product.
• Your confidence increases. As your speaking improves, the most powerful benefit is the improvement in your general confidence and self-image.
• Research shows that in selling, a speech demonstrating your services is 50% more effective than the most glowing testimonial. You’re showing the audience first hand how you think and work.
• When you’re speaking, the audience has come to you rather than you having to find them.

What makes a great speaker?

I saw Suze Orman, the financial guru, speak at a conference. As soon as she walked on stage, she connected with us. She was down-to-earth, funny, and knowledgeable. She shared her own personal story of growing up in Chicago, working as a waitress for several years making only $400 a month. Although she has achieved great success and fame, she had her ups and downs just like you and me. Because she shared authentically from her heart, she had us all sitting on the edge of our seats listening to every word she said.

Here’s 10 valuable tips to draw the audience to you from the beginning to end of your talk.

1. Know who’s in your audience before you speak. Call the event or program planner to find out the profile of the people attending.
2. Arrive early before you speak and walk around introducing yourself to some of the people. This helps to relax you and get you related to them.
3. If you’re speaking for a half-hour to an hour, your talk should cover only 3-4 points. The audience can only retain a limited amount of information in a short period of time.
4. Let the audience know at the beginning what you’ll be talking about and how long you’ll be speaking.
5. Speak to only one person at a time for about 4-5 seconds. Don’t look over their heads. Speak to them. This helps to reduce nervousness, increase confidence, and connect with the audience.
6. Create a compelling memorable story. People are interested in “you.” By sharing a memorable story, you’re connecting with the audience at a more personal level. They now will feel more related to you and what you have to say.
7. Engage the audience throughout your presentation and make it interactive. Check in with them by asking questions. It’s much more fun when you include them.
8. Throughout your talk, share other stories about people who you helped and the results. People love to hear real-life stories of triumph and success.
9. End your talk with a “call to action.” What do you want as an outcome for your talk? Do you want the audience to take an action step? Do you want them to buy your product or service?
10. Capture your audience. If you want to keep in touch with them, offer to send them notes from your talk or give a gift if they give you their business cards.

Here’s a story from a person who took my tips and the results he achieved.

“I was preparing to enter the ‘final exam’ interview step with a new company—the position was for US Sales Director—and I had to give a presentation on how I would construct their sales organization. I had to sell two things: my ideas and ME. I took Rochelle’s ideas to heart and revised my presentation. The presentation went very well and they made me an offer when I was done! Two major points my audience commented on were the opening story and that I asked them questions throughout the presentation. The other candidate didn't engage the audience, he just talked straight through. Guess what? The first task the President has given me is to work with the Market Development VP and create a presentation to launch the product to physicians. Rochelle's stuff works!”

If you liked what you've read and want help in applying these steps to your business, I invite you to take your first step by signing up for a Breakthrough Strategy Session with me. If you're stuck in your business or frustrated you're not bringing in more sales, please stop suffering and call me. There is a solution! I will walk you through a step-by-step process that will give you clarity about the direction of your business, create a 180-degree turn around in your thinking about sales, and move you forward quickly. I will personally give you my one-on-one breakthrough strategies that fit you and your business. Click here to learn more.

© All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission from Rochelle Togo-Figa, Professional Sales Coach, is prohibited.

If you would like to use this article on your website, or for your own ezine, not a problem; however, there’s one thing you MUST include: Rochelle Togo-Figa, The Sales Breakthrough Expert, is the creator of the Sales Breakthrough System™, a proven step-by-step sales process that will help you close more sales, sign on more clients and make more money with ease and velocity. To sign up for her free sales articles and teleclasses on closing more sales, visit www.SalesBreakthroughs.com.

7 New Strategies to Attract More Business in 2011

I was watching a video the other day of a successful entrepreneur and he said last year everyone was operating on “pause.” He said many people were cautious about doing business and waiting for things to change. He invited us to let go of the past year and start the New Year being “creative and productive” in our businesses. Now that’s something worth taking on!

It’s a brand new year filled with new possibilities and opportunities. It’s a chance to try new ways and to do things differently.

If you look at what successful business owners are doing, you’ll notice they’re always creating. They never are stopped. They listen keenly to what’s wanted and needed in the marketplace, and then start creating new programs and products.

As you know, we’re living in a new economy where the rules have changed. If you want to succeed in your business, you have to be willing to implement new strategies and try new ways of doing business.

Here are 7 new strategies for growing your business in 2011.

• Develop Strategic Alliances
  With so many business owners and entrepreneurs working alone, there’s a great opportunity to work together, brainstorm, and create new ways to help one another. You can also grow your community by collaborating with another entrepreneur. There’s a synergy that is created when you combine your expertise with another. To get myself known in the new community I’m living in, I formed a strategic alliance with another entrepreneur and started a business group. By developing this alliance, I’m getting known in the local community.
• Reach Out to Past and Current Clients
  Pick up the phone and call past and current clients. Call for no other reason than to see how they’re doing. Let them know you’re thinking of them. With so much communication done on the Internet, they will greatly appreciate this personal touch.
• Give First and You’ll Receive
  Look for opportunities to help others. Be willing to put others first. Be more interested than interesting. When you open yourself up to giving first, you’ll see how easily you receive back so much more. Ask first, “How can I help you?” and watch how others respond to you and what you get back!
• Create a New Product or Program
  Maybe it’s time to try something new. Doing the same thing year in and year out can become stale after awhile. If you’re not getting the result you want, it may be time to try something new. Is there a program or product you’ve been thinking about creating. Now is the time to DO IT!
• Repackage Your Programs and Products
  What can you revise, add to, or remove? It may be time to shelf an old program and create a new one. Do you offer low, medium, and high-end products? Maybe it’s time to update a product you’ve had for a while.
• Trust Yourself
  Spend quiet time with yourself. Write down in a journal questions like, “What do I REALLY love to do?” “What feels right for ME to do right now?” Other people have good intentions and want to help you but their ideas may not be right for you. I’ve learned this past year to listen to what feels right for me and trust myself.
• Get Out There and Network, Network and Network Some More!
  When I moved to Charlotte, I made a promise to myself that I would do things differently. One of the things I took on was meeting as many people as I could. This helped me quickly feel at home in the business community. I did things here I never did in NY. Within a month of arriving, I started a monthly business group. Every week I attend at least two to three networking groups and have coffee with someone new two to three times a week. This has led to meeting so many amazing people and receiving back some great opportunities. You’ve got to get out there and become a master networker.

If you would like to use this article on your website, or for your own ezine, not a problem; however, there’s one thing you MUST include: Rochelle Togo-Figa, The Sales Breakthrough Expert, is the creator of the Sales Breakthrough System™, a proven step-by-step sales process that will help you close more sales, sign on more clients and make more money with ease and velocity. To sign up for her free sales articles and teleclasses on closing more sales, visit http://www.salesbreakthroughs.com/.

Ready to Create 2011 to be Your Best Sales Year Ever?

As we move into 2011, now is the time to decide what you want your business to look like. Look at what you have in your business now. If you don’t like what you see, you can change it. If you want to achieve bigger goals, you can do it. It starts by stepping outside your business, looking at how you’ve been doing business, and then creating a new vision of what you want your business to be. You can accomplish much more when you have a clear and concise sales plan.

Let me share a story about my client, Ann. She’s the owner of a growing tile business. Ann came to me because she wasn’t closing enough sales—she was overwhelmed with the details of running a business. Instead of running her business, she felt as though her business was running her. Her lack of focus and direction was hindering her productivity and slowing down her sales growth.

Ann had big dreams for growing her business. She wanted to design a brochure, build a website, and sign on more clients. However, all the details that arise for solopreneurs can often push our dreams into the realm of “maybe someday.” So early in the coaching relationship, Ann and I created a detailed plan of everything that she wanted to accomplish.

We started with Ann creating a clear vision of what she wanted her business to look like. I had her answer these questions, “What is it I really want to do? Am I doing the work I really love or am I doing what others expect of me?” In order to create her vision, she needed to put her business owner hat on, step back, and see the whole picture. It’s not uncommon to get caught up in the “doing” of our business and lose sight of seeing a bigger picture, including all of our dreams and goals.

She then listed and clarified all her goals and indicated next to each goal the date to reach the goal. We then defined action steps for each goal, with a due date next to each action step. We looked at all of the steps and we listed, by priority, which steps she needed to tackle first. Creating due dates for her goals and action steps, gave Ann a clear and specific plan by when they would be accomplished.

Immediately, Ann felt energized and excited. Finally, she was focused and had gained clarity. She was able to envision each of the steps on the way to each of her goals. With her new plan in place, Ann completed her brochure, implemented her new website, and actively began pursuing new clients. She felt a sense of accomplishment seeing all the projects she’d been working on for several years finally being completed. Ann is now running her business with confidence, guided by a clear vision of what she needs to do going forward. By anchoring herself and grounding herself, she became the image of success she’d dreamed of.

I’m sure many of you can relate to Ann’s story. You’re strong in certain areas, but in other areas you’re totally overwhelmed with all the things involved in running a business. When you create a clear, specific plan and stick to it, you cease to be overwhelmed and make tremendous strides towards realizing your vision.

The wonderful thing about having a plan is gaining a sense of control over the direction of your business and life. With a plan, you steer your business in the direction you want it to go. You are no longer caught up in the details of the day-to-day work.

Here are 9 simple steps to create your own comprehensive plan towards achieving your sales success:

1. Create your vision: Take a good look at your business. Maybe it’s time to change your vision. Are you doing what you really want to do? What is it you want to accomplish? What is it you provide? When you begin to answer these questions, you’re creating a clear vision of what you want to accomplish.
2. See the whole picture: Much too often, we are caught up in the every day details of our business rather than seeing the whole picture. Make the time to step back from the “doing” and see the whole picture of what you want to achieve.
3. Clarify your goals: Goals are the pathway to getting to where you want to take your business. Make a list of all the goals you want to accomplish and ensure they relate to your business.
4. Clear and specific goals: As you write your goals, are they as clear and specific as possible? This means projecting sales revenue numbers, percentages, number of new clients, etc.
5. Action steps: To fulfill each of your goals, there must be an action step connected to the goal. The action step is the “doing” part of your plan. Without taking action, the goal is just a good idea.
6. Due dates: To ensure you reach your goal sooner than later, list a due date to reach your goal and do the same for each action step. This eliminates procrastination because you’re committing to a deadline to reach your goal.
7. Prioritize: Take a good look at each goal and list the goals that matter most first. Prioritize the top 3 goals as “A” goals. This means you want to achieve these goals in the next 90 days.
8. Just do it: Now that you’ve created a plan, it’s time to work your plan. Do what you said you would do, when you said you would do it. As Nike says, “Just do it!” 97% of people write goals and never take action. If you want this to be your best year ever, be in the 3% who take action and reach their goals!
9. Persevere: Do not allow anything to get in the way of fulfilling your plan and reaching your goals. No matter what life throws at you, keep your eye on your plan and persevere.

Now is a good time to begin to create your sales plan. Follow the 9 steps and begin to design your plan. With a comprehensive sales plan in place, you’re ready to hit the ground running in 2011!

If you would like to use this article on your website, or for your own ezine, not a problem; however, there’s one thing you MUST include: Rochelle Togo-Figa, The Sales Breakthrough Expert, is the creator of the Sales Breakthrough System™, a proven step-by-step sales process that will help you close more sales, sign on more clients and make more money with ease and velocity. To sign up for her free sales articles and teleclasses on closing more sales, visit http://www.salesbreakthroughs.com/.

Are You Ready to Shift Your Sales Beliefs?

A belief is an assumed truth. Thus, everything is a belief—including this statement. We create beliefs to anchor our understanding of the world around us and thus, once we have formed a belief, we will tend to persevere with that belief.

Your belief system, like your computer, doesn’t judge or even question what you think. It accepts your thoughts as the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. When you think thoughts of failure, you’re bound to feel discouraged and hopeless. And, when you continuously worry, anxiety and fear take over causing stress and keeping you from moving forward.

We did not come into the world with any limiting beliefs or fears. When we were born, we were completely unafraid, fully expressed, and spontaneous. But as we grew up, our parents and people around us began teaching us their beliefs. They began saying things like, “Be careful!” Stop!” “Get away from there!” “No! You can’t do that!” And, the more you heard these thoughts over time, you accepted them as the truth.

I can remember, as the youngest of 5 brothers and sisters having dinner on Sundays with my family. I was a very expressive little girl with a lot to say. Many times when I would try to speak, my oldest brother would say “Keep quiet, nobody is interested in what you have to say.” To him I was his annoying little sister. But to me, he was my big brother, so whatever he said was the truth. I believed that nobody was really interested in what I had to say, so I stopped speaking up. I believed that what I said didn’t matter.

Dr. Shad Helmstetter, author of What to Say When You Talk to Yourself, writes in his book how we’ve been conditioned by repetitive, negative programming through family, friends, and articles we’ve read. He says the brain is like a “programming machine.” The mind takes what you put into it and after listening to it over and over again, believes the thoughts are real.

It all starts with our programming! It is our programming that sets up our beliefs, and the chain reaction begins. The sequence is as follows: What we believe determines our attitudes, affects our feelings, impacts our behavior, and determines our success or failure. That’s how the brain works.

When it comes to selling, you may have a belief that to successfully sell you have to be like the “slick” or “pushy” stereotype used car salesman, and you know that is not your style. You avoid learning how to sell because you believe you have to act differently and be a certain way with the client. You start saying to yourself and others “I’m not good at selling” or “I’m not the pushy type”. Your belief about selling keeps you from getting out there and selling your product.

No one was born a natural salesperson. You can successfully sell by creating a new set of beliefs and positive self-talk. First, identify what your beliefs are, when did you first start hearing these beliefs and ask yourself if they are really true? You’ll see that these beliefs were passed to you by someone else and you heard them so often, you assumed they were true.

A good way to create positive self-talk is through affirmations. An affirmation is a positive statement that represents your desired outcome. Interestingly, your subconscious mind doesn’t know the difference between a real experience and a vividly imagined experience.

There’s a story about Jim Carrey, the well-known comedian and actor. When he was a struggling young comedian, late at night he would drive into the hills overlooking Hollywood and yell at the top of his lungs “I will earn ten million dollars a year by 1995!” When 1995 finally arrived, Jim was the star of the movie “Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls” for which he was paid twenty million dollars!”

As you come to the end of the year, make a list of your negative beliefs about selling (and other areas of your life). Next to each belief, write a positive affirmation that you can practice daily just as Jim Carrey did that brought him millions. We all have the power within us to change the way we think. Just by changing and practicing your beliefs, you’ll be on your way to taking a quantum leap in your business and life in 2009!

If you liked what you've read and want help in applying these steps to your business, I invite you to take your first step by signing up for a Breakthrough Strategy Session with me. If you're stuck in your business or frustrated you're not bringing in more sales, please stop suffering and call me. There is a solution! I will walk you through a step-by-step process that will give you clarity about the direction of your business, create a 180-degree turn around in your thinking about sales, and move you forward quickly. I will personally give you my one-on-one breakthrough strategies that fit you and your business. Click here to learn more.

© 2008. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission from Rochelle Togo-Figa, Professional Sales Coach, is prohibited.

If you would like to use this article on your website, or for your own ezine, not a problem; however, there’s one thing you MUST include: Rochelle Togo-Figa, The Sales Breakthrough Expert, is the creator of the Sales Breakthrough System™, a proven step-by-step sales process that will help you close more sales, sign on more clients and make more money with ease and velocity. To sign up for her free sales articles and teleclasses on closing more sales, visit www.SalesBreakthroughs.com.

Up Your Sales with a Simple Strategy

Do you have a sales strategy plan for growing your business and bringing in more sales?

The dictionary’s definition of a “strategy” is a plan of action intended to accomplish a specific goal; a method of making, doing, or accomplishing something.

Your sales strategy plan is a very clear statement of what your business has to do for you to achieve your sales goals. The wonderful thing about having a plan is it gives you a sense of control over the direction of change in your life.

Now, the type of plan I’m talking about is a plan for growing your sales and clients. If you’re serious about doubling your sales and bringing in tons more clients, you have to know how you’re going to do it.

The key is to plan, envision, and articulate what you want, and write it down. If you don’t put it into existence, you don’t own it.

Sadly, most people spend little or no time working on their sales strategy plan. Without a clear plan of what it is you want to accomplish and how you’re going to accomplish it, chances are you won’t reach all your goals.

I recently spoke to a business owner who was struggling closing sales. When I asked her how she sold her services, she said by calling people she knew. She thought if she just reached more people, she’d get more appointments, and make more money.

I asked her what else she’s doing to market her business? She said, “I’m planning to network; however, things keep getting in the way. And, I hope to create my website shortly.” She was vague and unclear about what steps to take, and easily getting sidetracked by other tasks without a clear plan to follow.

Let me share with you the process I followed to create a sales strategy plan for my client, Judy, and the results that followed:

The Situation
Judy is the owner of a tile and stone company. She dreamt of producing a website and creating a brochure; however, without clear steps to follow, she easily became distracted by the daily details of her business. Her dream looked like it was going to remain a dream.

Judy came to me because she lacked focus and direction. Without clarity and a clear sense of how to increase her sales, she was confused and overwhelmed with the responsibility of owning a business. She clearly was not running her business; her business was running her.

The Process
Early on, I had Judy create 3 specific and vivid goals she wanted to achieve in the first 3 months. With each goal she listed the action steps to take and a due date for each step. We divided the goals into business, sales, and marketing categories.

Before Judy got into action, I had her make a list of all the barriers she had that were keeping her from reaching her goals. She saw she had some fears that were keeping her stuck. These same fears were also stopping her in other areas of her life as well. I helped Judy understand these fears were not real and what needed to be done was to take action. The more she moved forward, the less fearful she felt. Judy began to feel freed up and energized about her business!

The Results
Judy now had a clear vision of what she wanted her business to look like. With her renewed energy, she continued to be more productive and in action, and the results happened almost immediately. Her dreams became real. She produced a beautiful brochure to give to her customers, created a website that professionally showcased her company, and designed a new logo. With the new company image, sales increased by 60%! Judy is now running her business; her business is no longer running her.

A clear and concise sales strategy plan provided Judy with a step-by-step process that gave her clarity and direction. She quickly started closing more sales, signing on more clients, and making more money.

With her own sales strategy plan, she mapped a clear pathway to reaching all her dreams and goals. 

If you would like to use this article on your website, or for your own ezine, not a problem; however, there’s one thing you MUST include: Rochelle Togo-Figa, The Sales Breakthrough Expert, is the creator of the Sales Breakthrough System™, a proven step-by-step sales process that will help you close more sales, sign on more clients and make more money with ease and velocity. To sign up for her free sales articles and teleclasses on closing more sales, visit http://www.salesbreakthroughs.com/.