Three months ago, I posted on my personal Facebook page that I had signed up for BCIT’s introductory course in Interior Design. I took the course for personal reasons (I am an interior design junkie), but the reaction I received on Facebook surprised me. Some people thought that I was switching careers. When I thought about it afterwards, it made sense that my post would be interpreted as an announcement of leaving my bread and butter behind in the pursuit of different dreams. Why? Because, well, that’s what people do on Social Media. They let people know that something has changed in their life.

On LinkedIn three weeks ago, I accidentally pushed the “post” button when I wasn’t 100% finished updating a past career from 1985 on my profile. Oops! I didn’t realize my error until my inbox began to flood with “Congratulations!” from members of my team and people I haven’t heard from in years.

Yes, Social Media does work if you wish to announce to the world that something is new or different in your life or business. If you are looking for social media to make you money, let’s talk.

*Source: Baila Baila Lazarus, Media Consultant

MICHELA QUILICI – Marketing strategist and Ghost CEO adviser, Q. Consulting

Re-posted from Business in Vancouver – January 20, 2015

“The quickest way to business success is to be a big fish in a small pond, not a small fish in a big pond.” This is the Ghost CEO mantra. If you solve a niche problem really well, it’s almost inevitable that you will grow. Once you have a proven model for success, then you can increase the size of your pond and leverage what you’ve mastered for one vertical and open up new markets. If you trace back some of the most successful businesses to their early days, you will find that the majority that are in a mass market today first made their money targeting niche markets with a specific offering.

PAULINE O’MALLEY – Business development strategist, RevTurbo Selling System

The secret to successful selling is connection. Does your product or service connect with the audience that you are communicating with?

I have found over the years that matching “likes” to “likes” is paramount when building a winning business development campaign and closing deals. You probably have heard the expression, “Birds of a feather flock together.” People have a tendency to say “yes” more often to people they trust. People generally trust people who have things in common with them.

I had a client in manufacturing under second-generation leadership. After analyzing their product mix and their areas of expertise and carefully considering their available resources, we encouraged them to cut 172 products from their production line and focus 100% on one area. A bold move? Yes, and for the past seven years they have surpassed their annual revenues by 20% or more each year. It wasn’t a light decision, and there was lots of discourse, but in the end, the team effort to focus on one thing continues to pay off.

It’s a big world out there. Companies have limited resources. Sales representatives have limited time. Match who you are, and the values you express, to the people in specific market sectors.

If you have an interest in mechanics or building things, then you could narrow your focus to people in the manufacturing, industrial or engineering fields. If you like numbers, financial analytics and wearing suits, then you could find success in the banking, financial or insurance sectors.

When you connect with your sales audience, you increase the potential to shorten sales cycles and close more deals. You may also have more fun.

Read the entire article here.

Here is a list of a few things to consider:

1. We are connected.

In the age of LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube, we know a lot of people. According to one survey, 69% of Canadians visited at least one social networking site in the past year and 87% of households are connected to the internet. Take the time to tell someone that you love them, especially if they don’t expect it.

2. We are rich.

In 2013, The median family income in Canada was $76,000. The median household income in the United States was $52,250. The median annual household income worldwide was $9,733. Could some of us use more money? Yes. However, if you feel you have a little left over, donate.

3. We have lots to eat.

Too much actually. In a 2013 United Nations report 1.3 billion tonnes of food, about a third of the world’s supply, are wasted annually, costing global economies $750-billion (U.S.) and negatively impacting the environment – at a time when 1.2 billion people are living in extreme poverty. Moving food from those who have it, to those who do not, is a logistical challenge. Individually, we can contribute to the solution by donating cash and non-perishable food items to www.FoodbanksCanada.ca and http://www.feedingamerica.org/ on a regular basis.

4. We are healthy.

We live in a country with what it perceives to be the highest standard of health care in the world. However, the Commonwealth Fund recently released a comparative scorecard of 11 health-care systems in advanced industrial economies. The United States ranked 11th. Canada ranked 10th, its worst standing in the comparison since it began in 2004.

There are people in our neighbourhoods that need assistance in the healthcare system. It could be as simple as driving someone to the doctor or ensuring that someone is registered with the universal healthcare system. You may be surprised how inaccessible healthcare is in North America.

5. We are lucky.

You probably have heard the expression “luck is what you make it.” Is there a correlation between a positive attitude and good fortune? Check out Angelina Jolie’s directorial debut: Unbroken based on the book by Laura Hillenbrand. Its hardcover format spent an unbelievable 180 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. (Only 3 books have held that position.) The story of Louis Zamperini’s perseverance and courage inspires.

From all of us, Happy Holidays and all the Best of the New Year and Beyond.

Pauline, Megan, Carol, Natasha, John, Karen, and Jayne

www.RevTurbo.com and www.BestPeopleWin.com

What can change look like? Your prospect was eager to meet with you last time you met, but now they seem stand-offish. One of my favourite questions to ask at the beginning of every meeting is, “Since the last time we spoke, what’s changed?” I have to be quiet after I ask this question because business buyers are usually surprised to hear me ask it. They are used to selling professionals diving right into the conversation, as if no time went by, since the last time they communicated. That’s a mistake. Since then,your client-to-be interacted with other decision makers and influencers. Budgets or timelines may have been altered and agendas have certainly changed.

Selling Tip: So find out by asking one question, “What’s changed?” at the beginning of your conversation, not when it is too late.

One of our friends was gracious enough to call us from the nautical supplies store and asked if we had purchased our charts and the “bible” of the sea yet. We had not. She came right over and sat with us for 45 minutes directing us to pages in the Waggoner reference guide.

The itinerary was drawn up, reservations were made, the menu was planned, the packing and shopping lists were drafted, and the course was plotted.

Now, how does this relate to sales? I think one of the biggest mistakes that individual sales representatives or their sales managers make, is that they do not develop a sales plan. And if they have, they don’t stick to it.

In my opinion, the sales plan consists of three simple components:

1. Who is the target market?
2. How are we going to engage them?
3. What do they need for us to close them?

Plan for contingencies. In our case, it was the weather. We had a few “buffer” days that would make adjustments for bad weather. A sales plan should consider sick days, holidays, delays. Either way, it’s a plan of action tied to measurable outcomes. Our “outcome” was to have a fabulous time. Mission accomplished.

For more information on how to develop a Sales Plan, contact Pauline.

As the journey unfolded, I began to realize that I was learning something. How we influence, and are affected by, other people directly impacts our lives. Indeed I’d go so far as to say that selling is a huge part of life, whether you choose to have the word ‘sales’ in your job title or not.

Over the next few blogs I’ll share with you what I learned on my summer sea voyage.

#1 – Don’t Be Afraid

Have you ever found yourself saying “No!” over and over again, when someone suggests that you try something new? “Try the cheese. You will love it!” You don’t like the look. You certainly don’t like the smell. But one day, you are watching your friends scoff down this aged milk product while making sounds of delight while their eyes are closed, and guess what? They love it! So you finally decide to try it. And, go figure, you love it!

Well, it was the same for me with respect to this 14 day boating trip on the sea. I was absolutely terrified. I told all of my friends that I didn’t want to go. I was trying to find excuses to not go. I was hoping that the weather would turn and the trip would be cancelled.

I was wrong. I was wrong on so many fronts. I loved the experience! I had a ball. It was an absolutely flawless trip. I had nothing to fear. I had the best sleep I have ever had 14 nights in a row. I saw spectacular scenery. I met wonderful people who were so helpful and giving. I found peace and quite. I was content, happy, and felt like a child.

Sales and business development are much the same way each and every day. Professional sales people must “go where no one has ever gone before”, in order to succeed, despite any fears they may have. It’s what we do. We talk to strangers. We have no idea what the outcome will be. We are explorers. And those of us who get over ourselves and push through the fear, end up realizing that 9 times out of 10, they had nothing to fear at all!

Here’s what’s shocking: Telus found that teleworking can increase employee productivity by about 20 per cent, after a 2006 pilot project where 170 employees worked at home. Besides increased productivity and morale, it also saved 114 tonnes of greenhouse gases and almost 14,000 hours of time in traffic.

Then why are so many “small” business owners reluctant to allow their employees to tele-commute?

In the article, Six Compelling Reasons Telecommuting May be Right for Your Company, you may find that there is nothing to fear.

The question is, are you hiring? And if so, what precautions are you taking to ensure that you don’t make a hiring mistake?

Here are some things to look for:

• Is the candidate a good fit with your company culturally?
• Is the candidate a good fit for the role?
• Does the candidate have any special attributes that you should be aware of?

My advice to you is:

1) Interview more than 3 times.
2) Take them out for lunch.
3) Consider using assessment tools to measure strengths and reveal weaknesses. Psychological and psychometric instruments have come a long way. They are far more accurate than they were 30 years ago and help to identify who a person really is.

Whether a similar account is an electronic address depends on the specific circumstances of the account in question. For example, posting on a website, blog post, or Facebook wall is NOT a commercial electronic message.

However, messages sent to other users using a social media messaging system (e.g. Facebook Messaging and LinkedIn Private Messages), would qualify as sending messages to ‘electronic addresses’.

CASL also applies to text messages (SMS) as they are sent to a ‘telephone account’.

Bill C-28: Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation does not apply to voice messages, faxes, or phone calls themselves.

So what does this mean? Social media, the phone,  and mail are a great way to provide content that will get people interested in your products and services. 

Sources: http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/E-1.6/index.html
https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/ecic-ceac.nsf/eng/gv00521.html
http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/E-1.6/index.html
http://fightspam.gc.ca/eic/site/030.nsf/eng/home
https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/ecic-ceac.nsf/eng/gv00521.html

To learn more about CASL and how it affects your business development efforts, watch the replay of our webinar from June 19th.

When sending a CEM to an electronic address, there are three general requirements.

1. Consent, either expressed or implied
2. Information identifying the sender in the form of a mailing address that has been valid for at least 60 days (Yes, you can use a post office box address.)
3. An unsubscribe mechanism

Most reputable business people, think that an unsubscribe mechanism, is just plain good manners. CASL states that the unsubscribe mechanism “must be consumer-friendly – simple, easy to use and must be ‘readily performed,’ without difficulty or delay.”

Gone are the days when anyone could send a CEM, and have a pre-checked box stating that the receiver opted-in, when clearly they have not. That’s just bad manners. As of July 1st it is illegal.

A link in an email that takes the user to a web page, where he or she can unsubscribe from receiving all or some types of CEMs, is acceptable. For CEMs sent by SMS (text messages), receivers just need to reply “STOP” or “Unsubscribe” and that must be accepted as an “unsubscribe” request.

If you send CEMs from Outlook, add an unsubscribe mechanism to your signature. This can be as simple as stating “If you no longer wish to receive emails of this nature, simply reply to this email with “UNSUBSCRIBE” in the subject line.” Don’t forget to add your mailing address to your signature to comply with requirement number 2 above.

“Responses to an inquiry related to your commercial activity, or providing a requested quote” is allowed. For instance, someone sends you an email, or fills in a web form, asking you about your solutions you now have their expressed consent for you to send them a CEM.

So ensure that your marketing initiatives are relevant to your audience by encouraging them to opt in. You will have less to worry about.

Does the CASL apply to social media? More of that in Myth #5.

Source: http://fightspam.gc.ca/eic/site/030.nsf/eng/h_00050.html & http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2012/2012-548.htm

We hosted a complimentary Open Forum Webinar June 19th for our clients. We shared information about the law that affects the marketing and sales strategies for business. Since then, there seems still be a lot of questions around the issue.

If you would like a copy of the webinar or ebook, email me.