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FreelanceCampSales

Page history last edited by PBworks 15 years, 7 months ago

Questions and Focusing Statements from the Circle

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Sales, marketing and business development:

What is the difference?

Wikipedia has decent definition

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_development

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Referrals are a great way to end a successful project :

“Who do you know that needs my help?”

But what else should we be doing?

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Some are looking for solutions to combat nerves around the final pitch to a room of decision-makers.

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If you teach your customers - have you obsoleted yourself?

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How to go from casual conversation - to “I’m pitching x” - to “Let’s talk collaboratively about business.”?

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Selling other people can be easier than selling yourself.

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Wanting to get access to or to develop a systems strategy to sales and marketing.

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Looking for experiences in Santa Cruz to network.

Prices are already really low – how do I market cost-effectively.

 

 

Things that work

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Sales is the one-on one interaction with you and a client trying to close a deal.

Who are you , what do you provide, how do you give value?

Marketing is the at-large broadcast of information, e.g., website, selling the business.

Who’s the business partners? Who’s already developing this market? Who can bring business to you? As well, it is understanding the market itself and deciding which features to offer them and their selling points.

Business development is often the early and ongoing building of possibilities together with possible and current clients.

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Tom (Todd?) – leader of Business Connect uses it to network locally.

 

CK - Business Networking International meets monthly at the Cayuga Vault.

They look like a compact and active organization – they accept members that offer a new trade / professional skill to the group.

 

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The elevator pitch and key messages for clients is important…

but it may change a lot and actually what’s really important is theh building of relationships, making friends, smiling, being someone they want to work with, even if they don't know what you do. It's not about talking through your entire pitch on the sidewalk... sidewalk encounters are for being friendly. And ensuring that they'll remember THAT.

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UC is starting an innovation and mentorship program this week.

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Good reason to network #73:

Sometimes as people outgrow their customers, they’re able to hand them off

to the newer providers in the marketplace.

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Teaching customers doesn’t obsolete you – they’ll use you for follow-on projects and refer you.

 

Doing a good job is a form of marketing.

Its not “I’ve achieved the task at hand and now it’s fixed. Do I wait til it’s broken again? No…”

Teaching customers as much as they’re willing to learn promotes their understanding … soon they want more.

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Words to use when asking for referrals :

“I’m sure you have a brother, a colleague, … who needs x.”

Take this line in a conversational way…not pushy. It’s possible.

However, if you try to sell something you don’t stand behind, then it shows.

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Shane:

I build relationships with all my clients.

So they can do business with an individual, not a thing or company.

They feel that they have a champion at this company who they can have confidence in.

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Tip : Point out a negative feature about one’s service/product, so they trust you on the positives.

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SO : you do good work. You get referrals. But it’s a small market. Now what?

 

She promotes her clients. to each other. This REALLY makes them remember you.

If they do something amazing because of YOU, then they talk about you forever.

It becomes not-all-about-you… and good things do come back to you.

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Linked In : Yes. Do that.

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Shane:

But also, you must GO SOMEWHERE and MEET people. Get out of the house.

Become a people person, even when you’re not.

Don’t worry about the elevator pitch exclusively.

Smile a lot, be genuinely friendly,

They should walk away with a feeling that they really like you, trust you.

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Getting over fear of people : ask clients to invite you to parties and events.

You get introduced as their consultant / planner, etc.

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Yes, face-to-face meet-ups are important.

 

it’s very relationship oriented – it’s important as a financial advisor to meet and like each other.

If this person you’re impressing in a friendly way isn’t the right one.

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Long distance stuff – often comes through referrals.

But it’s not like : 9 months after we talked, something comes through.

You keep a low-level ping going, sometimes that’s emails.

Sometimes that’s conferences.

There you are just meeting people, but those with a common mindset…

people who are looking for people-like-us…

or who are competitive but have overflow and would pass that on to you.

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So, well, not everybody should be in sales.

You can partner with someone who’s good at.

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Problem : “web-based work, I can outsource that to China.”

What’s the answer to the commodity question?

Sometimes you can’t convince them.

Got to get into their head, what really matters to them.

… it’s not the HTML.

 

“They (offshore competitor) produce code : we solve problems.”

 

Ask / discuss with the client:

“What’s your actual problem?”

Often they don’t know what they want and you have to dig for the real thing.

“What you asked for is the wrong thing… you don’t want me to do that.” Dig til you find out.

-> SMILE; be honest.

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Other ways to get more business:

 

Who creates mini-workshop experiences to familiarize business people with their consulting work?

Big Fish, Small Pond – Faun and Bonnie –

“What your designer wished you knew so the whole thing works out better.”

and

Cruzio – “how to use your computer” and “how to set up web stuff”

 

One person did some work for a locak stationery store for free.

“I’ll do this for free, if you’ll hand out my business card.”

 

How to get over fear of … presentations:

Keep it short

Practice

Can’t explain everything – find two things!

No fear because you have it so down. And you feel connected to your audience.

 

Shane’s pitch has gone from nervous and weird

to practiced ,

to over-practiced,

to more natural again.

 

Use butterflies to project your voice.

 

Companies hire improv teachers.

Do small potluck improvs to increase your comfort level.

 

Suggest teaching – lead some sort of workshops. You know more.

 

Take a video of yourself and watch it, even a short one with your little digital still camera.

 

Get used to saying We instead of I.

You and they will feel you’re bringing more to the table.

Use mirroring and matching.

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Not everybody wants what you have. That’s OK!

If you're selling homemade chocolate chip cookies,

you’re looking for the person who LOVES chocolate chip cookies...

not the one who doesn't really care about chocolate.

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Are there any online freelance venues that work out and aren’t incredibly price-constrained?

Craigslist has been good. Most others not.