SoftwareCEO - Revenue Journal

SoftwareCEO - Revenue Journal http://www.softwareceo.com?src=blog_rss <p>Revenue-increasing insights, strategies, and techniques for CEOs and entrepreneurs.</p> Thu, 09 May 2013 17:10:11 GMT admin@softwareceo.com SoftwareCEO 60 SoftwareCEO http://www.softwareceo.com/brand/sceo/community.gif http://www.softwareceo.com?src=blog_rss 5 Ways to Blow the Sale with the First Contact http://www.softwareceo.com/blog/entry/48327/5-Ways-to-Blow-the-Sale-with-the-First-Contact/?src=blog_rss I recently posted a freelance web development project on a web development job board. Most of the responses, unfortunately, were perfect examples - of what not to do. Since a lot of sales these days start with “virtual” contact, it’s instructional to see how these guys blew it - and what you can do to make sure you do it right. You don’t want to do these five things. 1) Don’t send an email filled with typos. Most of the messages were, unfortunately, filled with typos. The customer’s reaction: I’m not just looking for someone to fix one site. I’m looking for someone who can be a potential long-term vendor, someone I can refer my clients to. If you don’t even pay attention to details when you’re trying to impress, no way am I going to trust you with my own sites or refer you to my clients. Remember: Potential customers always decide that if there are mistakes in your selling messages, there will be mistakes in your work. 2) Don’t be a nuisance. Several candidates went beyond their initial response via email, and started using other channels to bug me - including Skype, Twitter, and LinkedIn. I was just...<div><a href="http://www.softwareceo.com/blog/entry/48327/5-Ways-to-Blow-the-Sale-with-the-First-Contact/">[Read more]</div> Sales and Distribution Thu, 09 May 2013 16:12:50 GMT Kristin Zhivago http://www.softwareceo.com/blog/entry/48327/5-Ways-to-Blow-the-Sale-with-the-First-Contact/#discussion?src=blog_rss http://www.softwareceo.com/blog/entry/48327/5-Ways-to-Blow-the-Sale-with-the-First-Contact/?src=blog_rss The salesperson's first test: Making an appointment via email http://www.softwareceo.com/blog/entry/48219/The-salesperson-s-first-test-Making-an-appointment-via-email/?src=blog_rss We all use email to agree on a meeting time. Unfortunately it’s terribly inefficient, especially when it’s done incorrectly. A salesperson who is sloppy about it will drive the new, potential client nuts and make the client wonder if she really wants to do business with the salesperson. It is the salesperson’s first test. You’ll want to pass it. Here’s an example of good form: Hi, Judy. I understand you want to see a demo of our SuperBigProgram. I’m able to do this with you at these times - all EST. Mon April 8 from 2 - 5 EST Wed April 10 from 11 - 3 EST Fri April 12 from 9 - 12 EST Please let me know if anything works for you within these ranges, or suggest another day/time. I will send you an invite with a link to the WebEx meeting. [Or, if it is a phone call: “Please also tell me which number you’d like me to call.”] Thanks. I look forward to speaking with you. [Sig - with name and FULL contact information, including name, title, website, email, physical address, and phone number.] I also suggest that your email “from” be your name and phone...<div><a href="http://www.softwareceo.com/blog/entry/48219/The-salesperson-s-first-test-Making-an-appointment-via-email/">[Read more]</div> Sales and Distribution Wed, 03 Apr 2013 16:58:17 GMT Kristin Zhivago http://www.softwareceo.com/blog/entry/48219/The-salesperson-s-first-test-Making-an-appointment-via-email/#discussion?src=blog_rss http://www.softwareceo.com/blog/entry/48219/The-salesperson-s-first-test-Making-an-appointment-via-email/?src=blog_rss Metrics can tell you what, who, and how, but not why. And why is all that matters. http://www.softwareceo.com/blog/entry/47805/Metrics-can-tell-you-what-who-and-how-but-not-why.-And-why-is-all-that-matters./?src=blog_rss Thanks to site tracking, cookies, and A/B testing, you can monitor and analyze what any person does on your website, and how they respond to your content. So why are companies still struggling to produce content that helps them sell? Because metrics can tell you what, who, and how, but not why . If you don’t know the why, you don’t know what you have to do to sell more. I’m writing this post because I feel sorry for all the companies that waste so much time and money on websites that don’t move the revenue needle. I am saddened to see managers being misled by their tracking results. I’m tired of everyone thinking that A/B testing is the end-all, when it never tells you the all-important WHY. All of this weblog analysis and A/B testing, if not coupled with real-customer-interview research, falls into the same old stupid category of “I am going to figure out who they are without ever actually getting to know them.” It’s just as pointless as the old-school, pre-web, “throw the pasta at the wall and see what sticks” marketing methods. What makes us think we can get away with this? Fear and ego. We...<div><a href="http://www.softwareceo.com/blog/entry/47805/Metrics-can-tell-you-what-who-and-how-but-not-why.-And-why-is-all-that-matters./">[Read more]</div> Sales and Distribution Wed, 20 Feb 2013 18:12:42 GMT Kristin Zhivago http://www.softwareceo.com/blog/entry/47805/Metrics-can-tell-you-what-who-and-how-but-not-why.-And-why-is-all-that-matters./#discussion?src=blog_rss http://www.softwareceo.com/blog/entry/47805/Metrics-can-tell-you-what-who-and-how-but-not-why.-And-why-is-all-that-matters./?src=blog_rss Comfort is your real product; your character is where it comes from http://www.softwareceo.com/blog/entry/47197/Comfort-is-your-real-product-your-character-is-where-it-comes-from/?src=blog_rss The entertainment industry tends to portray people in business as greedy, selfish jerks. I spent a number of years in that industry, and I can understand why they think that way. Most of the people in power in that particular industry really are greedy and selfish. Any industry that requires you to be thinking of yourself 24/7 tends to attract a certain type of person. I decided to leave show business because I knew that if I stayed in it, I would be ruining my chances of being the kind of person I wanted to be. But the "jerk quotient" can also increase as companies grow. I’ve worked with hundreds of CEOs, entrepreneurs and other managers running companies of all sizes. There's no question that the bigger the company gets, the greater the possibility that it will be filled with jerks, unless the founder is absolutely devoted to customers and employees. As customers, we recognize those customer-centric companies easily; they stand out in their industries. Zappos, Southwest, FedEx, and Amazon come to mind. They provide something to their customers that very few companies provide: Comfort. It doesn’t really matter what they’re selling - shoes, flights, package delivery, or, in the...<div><a href="http://www.softwareceo.com/blog/entry/47197/Comfort-is-your-real-product-your-character-is-where-it-comes-from/">[Read more]</div> Sales and Distribution Sun, 13 Jan 2013 15:12:37 GMT Kristin Zhivago http://www.softwareceo.com/blog/entry/47197/Comfort-is-your-real-product-your-character-is-where-it-comes-from/#discussion?src=blog_rss http://www.softwareceo.com/blog/entry/47197/Comfort-is-your-real-product-your-character-is-where-it-comes-from/?src=blog_rss The single most important thing you need to focus on in 2013 http://www.softwareceo.com/blog/entry/47094/The-single-most-important-thing-you-need-to-focus-on-in-2013/?src=blog_rss What is going to matter most to all companies in 2013? Only one thing, whether you are a MomPopoly (great new term - thunk up by Carlos Dunlap et all at Colloquy) or a Fortune 50 corporation. Not the news, the wars, the disasters. Not the constantly shifting regulations, the “cliffs,” or the larger trends. Nothing matters as much as your customers' experience, every time they interact with your product, people, or processes. Their experience determines what they say about you to others who are considering buying from you. What they say determines if you prosper or struggle in 2013. It’s that simple. Even something as basic as your phone system will make them want to do business with you or want to avoid you; recommend you to others or warn them to stay away. Let’s look at this as if we were the customer. When you call a company to ask a question, you only do it AFTER you have looked online and have been unable to find the answer. When you call, what do you really want? YOU WANT A HUMAN BEING TO ANSWER THE PHONE ON THE FIRST RING. Yes, I typed that in caps for a...<div><a href="http://www.softwareceo.com/blog/entry/47094/The-single-most-important-thing-you-need-to-focus-on-in-2013/">[Read more]</div> Sales and Distribution Sun, 30 Dec 2012 18:06:32 GMT Kristin Zhivago http://www.softwareceo.com/blog/entry/47094/The-single-most-important-thing-you-need-to-focus-on-in-2013/#discussion?src=blog_rss http://www.softwareceo.com/blog/entry/47094/The-single-most-important-thing-you-need-to-focus-on-in-2013/?src=blog_rss "Why Aren't You Selling Us the Other Stuff We Need?" http://www.softwareceo.com/blog/entry/47001/-Why-Aren-t-You-Selling-Us-the-Other-Stuff-We-Need/?src=blog_rss I just finished interviewing a very smart customer for one of my clients. He’s a high-level manager in a tech company, a buyer of my client’s business services. During the interview, he explained how there were always two forces working against my client’s services: the comparable cost of accomplishing the same services in-house, and the fact that this customer is constantly pitched by competitive firms. Every so often, his own manager comes in and asks, “Are you still getting value for your money?” The customer is expected to have proof at his fingertips when that happens. He wants to be able to say, “Yes, they accomplished X last quarter for Y dollars. If we tried to do the same thing in-house, it would have cost us Z more.” Or, “Yes, last month they figured out how to improve on the automated portion of this process, and now we are getting that part done twice as fast, with fewer bugs. They also told us about a new tool they’re using with other clients, and we’ve decided to add some new services to the contract.” Sounds good, doesn’t it? If the customer was able to say these things to his boss, my...<div><a href="http://www.softwareceo.com/blog/entry/47001/-Why-Aren-t-You-Selling-Us-the-Other-Stuff-We-Need/">[Read more]</div> Sales and Distribution Thu, 06 Dec 2012 17:33:07 GMT Kristin Zhivago http://www.softwareceo.com/blog/entry/47001/-Why-Aren-t-You-Selling-Us-the-Other-Stuff-We-Need/#discussion?src=blog_rss http://www.softwareceo.com/blog/entry/47001/-Why-Aren-t-You-Selling-Us-the-Other-Stuff-We-Need/?src=blog_rss