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Are You a Terrible Boss? These Four Subtle Signs Will Show You

How Bad Managers Prepared Me for Entrepreneurship

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Bad managers prepared me for entrepreneurship in many ways.  I think back to the beginning when my first managers. I was in awe. I thought they were geniuses. And as I grew, I learned they were humans, not superheroes. And then my managers became more like my teachers. There were some good and some bad. There were some that taught me a lot and some that I never quite understood. With each opportunity, I learned something new. My past managers taught me a lot about what type of leader I wanted to be.

I learned both what type of leader I wanted to be and the traits I knew I didnt want. I can best remember the managers who were great teachers. They modeled good leadership behavior, encouraged curiosity and innovation, and by all means, they understood that micromanagement was an unwelcomed characteristic. This is definitely how I started compiling my recipe of the traits of a good manager. And then, I started my business and became a teacher for others.

Managers as Teachers

I figured early in life that human beings have a natural curiosity for learning and new things. It’s how you present those things that lead to the curiousness of learning. It is no secret that passion leads, not power. In school, the best teachers had a passion for their work with affection for their students. In managers, that is translated into compassion, patience, and inspiration. All of these traits create an opportunity for development and learning. For me, I can appreciate a manager who is understanding of you as a person and your knowledge and skills. After all, employees should be encouraged to grow whatever their job description. But this isn’t always the case.

The best teachers were consistent in sharing important facts, transparent in communication, and laid out “what’s next”. They reinforced the things we did right and worked with us on the things that needed improvement. No one is perfect, in school or business. A good manager teaches you what you need to do to complete your job best.

However, a bad manager is more focused on getting the job done than the development of his team members. That type of manager is more of a task director than a teacher. Unfortunately, this results in high team turnover. Developing the right team has far more benefits than continuously onboarding new team members. That’s why a good manager doesn’t mind going the extra mile to make sure their team has what they need. They also make learning interesting in spite of the task. Thus team members are more committed to learning their subject matter.

How Bad Managers Prepared Me for Entrepreneurship

Don’t be a Bad Manager

Nobody wants to learn from a bad manager. Admittingly, it’s a challenge to do so. And if your team members can not do their jobs, it reflects poorly on management. Have you ever noticed the difference between a manager who is forced to train you vs a manager who enjoys training you? I have! You either get all of the information you need to do the job or spend all of your time trying to gather what I need to do the job. The latter doesn’t make anyone happy.

It’s fairly easy to spot the difference between the two types of managers. One is committed to understanding the business goals and the team goals. The other type of manager is task-focused and primarily transactional. They often leave their team members feeling like they are something to check off of the to-do list. Undoubtedly, developing a dedicated team has far more benefits than continuously onboarding new team members.

How to Be a Good Manager

It may sound cliche but it reigns true. Empower your team to be the best they can be. You want your team to grow out of their positions rather than resign. A team member who understands the business, the goals and the consumer is a commodity. The management style includes creating a connected workplace culture in which all members can thrive.

This leads to your team communicating with you and others, with ease. Team members are eager to contribute and have a good attitude about their job. They are motivated to produce. They take ownership of their work. And they are willing to help other team members as well. All of these attributes are a result of the leadership you model. The business, in turn, grows and scales.

The Entrepreneurial Lessons Learned

Can you tell which traits I learned from a bad manager? I hope those would be the things I do best. It’s odd but learning about micromanagement prepared me for entrepreneurship. As the team member, I was forced to keep a well-detailed list of the work I was doing and the results. I had to be prepared to answer questions at all times. And it taught me to automate as much as possible. You don’t have to hoover your team members to know what’s happening in your business. Plus the time commitment to micromanagement is a time-waster.

But that’s not all I learned. First of all, as a small business, you can not afford to continuously train new employees. It’s costly and non productive. You end up spending more time working in the business than on the business. As a result, you can not position your business for profit. If you can even make a profit at all.

Secondly, all of my team members complete an extensive onboarding experience. If there is a mismatch, it’s often revealed during this time. We use all of our communication tools – email, video, manuals, templates. This provides an opportunity for continuous learning. It also motivates the team member to learn more about their job responsibilities.

Lastly, the team is often recognized for their effort and commitment. It’s not easy working for a business owner who is also a coach. Of course, I am going to motivate them to stretch their knowledge and skills. The key is a fine balance of teaching, understanding and information share.

To be the best teacher, be ok with being honest and direct. Your team will appreciate you for it. Remove the ambiguity and get to work. Everyone makes mistakes. Those mistakes only have value if you learn from them. Having this understanding creates an environment where employees feel understood and valued. Rest assured there are business challenges. However, those challenges are addressed with solutions and reasoning.

Conclusion

I learned every lesson, good or bad, is instrumental in the entrepreneurs’ world. It is your job as an entrepreneur to open your eyes to learning and opportunity and take them to heart. Becoming a good leader is a continuous process of learning and fine-tuning. It is as much science as art.

Entrepreneurship is hard but you don’t have to do it alone. Position 2 Profit Membership is for an online business community of leaders who want to position their business for profit. Business evolves at a different level when profit begins and how does your business grow from there? The group is led by Allison Todd, Operations & Digital Growth Strategist. Our members are committed to building a network of referrals, resources, and accountability. 

Position 2 Profit Membership

5 Ways to Monetize your Expertise

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A company works by buying skills and expertise and transforming it into a finished product; This translates to hiring employees and utilizing their labor to produce goods and services. 

However, the soul-crushing venture of climbing the corporate ladder isn’t for everyone. 

There is a massive increase in the number of people who want to enjoy financial freedom while still controlling their time and life.

A few decades ago, this was nothing more than a dream or a fairytale. However, today the story has changed. 

Ways to Monetize your Expertise

There are numerous avenues for you to cut past the corporate world and monetize your skills. Here are a few income streams that you might find convenient.

5 Ways to Monetize your Expertise

1. Writing for online publications

With many websites fueling the beautiful world of the internet comes a high demand for quality content. Writing for online publications is one easy way to share your wealth of knowledge with the world. 

We are in the information age, and your knowledge is worth a lot more than you think. Writing for online publications is the easiest method to monetizing your expertise. 

It doesn’t require a complicated process, and there are little or no barriers to entry. If you are skilled and you have excellent content to deliver, then you can start earning. It’s that simple.

2. Publishing a book

Before now, you being an author, required years and years of dedication, sweat, and ink. However, with the internet taking the world of reading by storm, all that has changed. 

Gone are the days of spending years on a manuscript and another couple of years hoping and lobbying for a big deal. Being an author still requires dedication and intelligence, but you don’t have to lobby and pray for a book deal anymore. 

With platforms like Amazon offering free publishing, you can write your book and start earning immediately after launch. Writing and self-publishing is a very lucrative way to monetize your expertise while still retaining your work and brainchildren’s rights.

3. Public Speaking

Perhaps being hunched behind a system and writing articles and books feels a lot like the corporate world you are trying to escape. Not everyone is cut-out to be a writer. Another way to share your knowledge and content with the world is public speaking. 

You might not be a writer, but if you find yourself an excellent speaker, public speaking is a path you must consider exploring. Be it informative, motivational, or political, find the niche that works best with your style and expertise, and grow from there.

4. Online Courses

If you want to do more than share information, you can go the extra mile to impart knowledge. The future of learning isn’t in brick and mortar classrooms. The future of education is on the internet. 

Online courses are slowly becoming people’s preferred way to learn. Rather than waiting to be hired by that university or that high school and find yourself in the rat race, why not teach an online course.

Either on your platform or other available platforms. Delivering online classes to a broad range of students worldwide is one easy and convenient way to make money and monetize your expertise.

5. Consulting

Although this is very similar to having a regular job, it affords you a lot of freedom. When your survival isn’t tied to one boss or one company, you get to dictate your service terms. 

Working as a consultant can be very satisfying and fulfilling. As a consultant, you get to control your time, your earnings as well as your portfolio. Working as a consultant gives you the freedom of an entrepreneur without the need for massive managerial and executive expertise.

Conclusion

These are some of the few ways you can monetize your expertise. There are other money-making avenues not mentioned here that you might find more applicable to your skill and expertise. However, the key is to choose a path that suits you best.

For maximum earnings and freedom, a combination of two or more of these income streams is most advisable, especially during the early stages of your freedom from the rat race.

Exploration is the best way to find what you do best. You also don’t want to be too dependent on one income stream as that would take away from the freedom you so rightly cherish.

Position to Profit Membership

Entrepreneurship is hard but you don’t have to do it alone. Members learns about the Scale to Profit System, business development, business operations, sales techniques, building the perfect team.

 

How to Determine Prices for Business Services

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Coming up with a business idea is only half the battle. Determining a price for your services is another huge part. As a business owner, you need to specify a price for your benefits before you can start offering them to potential customers, and if you can’t provide your services, you can’t make any money. So setting the right price is one of the crucial first steps in setting up your business.

If you were giving away your services for less than cost or just breaking even, you’d be operating a non-profit venture – or a business that’s likely to fail. There are various components that factor into whether or not a business is profitable, including location, leadership, market demand, competition, and so on.

Many service-based businesses struggle to come up with a fair and profitable pricing strategy. Unlike product pricing, you can’t precisely quantify all the costs that go into providing a service. 

The expenses that go into providing a service are more subjective than those that go into making a product. How much you charge customers doesn’t always directly correlate with the amount you pay to perform services. If you own a retail store, you buy goods at a specific price. 

To earn a profit, you need to sell the goods for more than what you paid. You determine how to price a product according to its cost. In service industries, finding a target profit margin is not as simple. You don’t have an original price to reference. Instead, your pricing formula for services should account for the intangible aspects of running your business, such as time and value.

Factors to Consider For Pricing

In short, pricing services is a tricky business. Because there is no set-in-stone method for pricing services, you have some flexibility in setting your price, but there isn’t a guaranteed formula that will enable you to set your price.

Here are the factors that experts say you should consider when trying to determine what price to charge for a service:

1.       Cost-plus pricing

This standard method of pricing in business seeks to determine the cost of making a product or, in this case, providing a service, and then add an amount to represent the desired profit. 

To determine the cost, you need to figure out direct costs, indirect costs, and fixed costs. Those costs include a portion of your rent, utilities, administrative fees, and other general overhead costs. When you make a deal to sell a service, you have to cover all your expenses.

2.       Competitors’ pricing

You need to be aware of what competitors are charging for similar services in the marketplace, Osteryoung says. This information could come from competitor websites, phone calls, talking to friends, and associates who have used a competitor’s services, published data, etc. 

If you have to compete on price to win a customer, you may ask yourself whether they will be loyal to you if they find someone offering a service at a lower price. 

To be relevant in the market, you need to convince potential customers that you are giving them tremendous value in terms of use and quality. To do that, you must be aware of what the competition is charging.

3.       Perceived value to the customer

This is where a lot of the subjectivity comes in when setting a service price. The critical factor in determining how much they are willing to pay for a service may not be how much time you spent providing the service to your customer. Still, ultimately what the perceived value of that service and your expertise is to them, Osteryoung says. That is where pricing becomes more of an art form.

How to Price Business Services

Guidelines For Setting Pricing For Your Services

Calculate your costs

Before you set a price for the services your company will provide, you need to understand your costs of providing these services to customers. The U.S. Small Business Administration advises that the cost of producing any use consists of the following three parts:

1.       Materials cost: These are the costs of goods you use in providing the service.

2.       Labor cost: This is the cost of direct labor you hire to provide a service.

3.       Overhead costs: These are the indirect costs to your business in providing services to customers. Examples include labor for other people who run the firm, whether administrative assistants or human resources personnel. 

Other overhead costs include your monthly rent, taxes, insurance, depreciation, advertising, office supplies, utilities, mileage, etc. The SBA suggests that a reasonable amount of these overhead costs should be billed to each service performed, whether at an hourly rate or a percentage.

Determine a fair profit margin.

Once you determine your costs, you need to mark up your services to ensure that you achieve your business profit; This is a delicate balance. You want to ensure that you complete a desirable profit margin. Still, at the same time, particularly in a down economy, you want to make sure that your business doesn’t get a reputation for overcharging for services.

Pricing Models.

Now that you understand what it costs you to provide a service, what your competitors are charging, and how customers perceive your services’ value, it’s time to figure out whether to charge an hourly rate; a per-project rate, try to negotiate a retainer for your assistance. This may be predetermined by your industry and the type of service pricing that predominates in your sector. 

For example, lawyers tend to charge hourly rates for their services, although those rates can vary. Many construction firms charge a project fee and require that one third be paid upfront, another third be paid at the half-way point, and the remaining third be paid upon completion.

1.       Charging at an hourly rate.

2.       Charging a flat fee.

3.       Variable pricing: Involves taking advantage of the flexibility afforded by service pricing to negotiate different prices to varying customers.

Conclusion

In a service business, your highest costs are usually your people’s costs — salaries, benefits, etc. If you are having a hard time selling services at an acceptable profit, the problem may be that your employee costs are too high rather than the price is too low. 

You may also want to re-evaluate your overhead costs to determine whether there are other cuts you can make to bring your price down and your profit margin up. Keep track of the profitability of your company every month. Always be testing new prices, new offers, and new combinations of benefits and premiums to help you sell more of your services at a better and better price. If you never raise your expenses, you won’t be in business for long. 

You have to continually monitor your worth and your costs to be competitive in the market and make the kind of money you deserve to complete in your business.

Position to Profit Membership

4 Problems Poor Management Skills Cause

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How can you tell if your business is suffering from poor management skills? Lack of management skills in your business can have long-lasting impact to your business and your team. The results can be toxic, misleading, and create a lack of commitment. Thus affecting employee retention. This is why Allison Todd, Operations & Digital Growth Strategist of SiMar, unfolds the importance of ensuring proper management skills for improved results.

Four Problems That Occur with Poor Management Skills

Four Problems That Occur with Poor Management Skills

Good managers are expected to lead team members by modeling the expected behavior and creating a thriving work environment. With poor management, problems occur. Here are four problems that occur with poor management skills:

Avoiding Recognition

Not recognizing or crediting team members for their work, is a sign of poor management. Without a balance of recognition and critique, team members may not feel valued. They may also complete their work in a state of fear, actively avoiding mistakes vs confidently completing their work. Good management skills include more than just delegating. It also includes allowing team members to know, understand and execute their business role and responsibilities.

Unvalued Team Members

Too much focus on the tasks and not the people often leads to team members feeling unvalued. Sometimes, just by listening this problem can be solved. It’s management’s responsibility to provide guidance and boost the team morale. Focus on clear and transparent communication with your team.

Executing Poor Meetings

Many people sigh at the idea of meetings as most are perceived as a waste of time. Managers may be too focused on delegating tasks and meeting their business goals. Preparing meetings is often an under prioritized task. Quite the contrary, a meaningful meeting can advance business progress and increase team morale. It is also an opportunity to outline and discuss expectations. To resolve this problem make planning a priority and stay organized while managing your projects.

Instilling a Sense of Fear

Have you ever had a manager who held the security of your job over your head? Perhaps a manager who constantly micromanaged. If so, that is unfortunate and a sign of poor management. Micromanages communicates a lack of trust in your team. When the team is in fear their job, it leads to the lack of confidence and distrust in the business as a whole. The good news is these problems are easily remedied with good management skills. To begin with its important to have a good attitude toward management. and be flexible in your approach.

Conclusion

Notably, strong leaders with good management skills positively impact business in many ways. Planning becomes a vital concept of the business. There is a process for decision making that positions leadership with a checks and balances. Collaborating and problem solving become more of a welcomed experience. Thus improved productivity and morale overall.

Ask the Consultant

Ask the Consultant is a session to connect directly with Allison Todd. It is practical business advise during a focused, quick session. The goal is to provide clarity, enhance a business practice or improve business performance. As a result, she addresses your specific business challenge. And you gain clarity. Connect today and Ask the Consultant.

4 problems that occur with poor management skills

The Good, The Bad, and The Profit of Being Your Own Boss

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Being an entrepreneur has its pros and cons. Running a business and being your boss sure has its benefits. However, roses have thorns. A proper understanding of an entrepreneur’s life would help you prepare for the positive and negative aspects of running a business.

While running a business affords you a sense of happiness and fulfillment, stress and pressure are also significant parts of the package. It’s a packaged deal of freedom and control, mixed with long hours and compulsory dedication.

Benefits of being an Entrepreneur

You are the boss

Being the boss is a rather obvious benefit of being an entrepreneur. It is one of the primary reasons why being an entrepreneur is so fulfilling and attractive. You are in control, the captain of the ship calling the shots and making things happen. 

Your thoughts and decisions make real impacts. It is way better than submitting suggestions to a middle manager who ignores them or takes credit for them. Every move you make affects real impact and change. 

You are in charge of your earning and finances

Another significant advantage of being an entrepreneur is that you determine how much you earn. You have the power to improve your earnings. How much you make isn’t left to the mercy of your boss or some obscure company policy. 

How much you make is based on the effort you put into your business and how much you decide to pay yourself. Of course, you must be careful not to suck your business dry. Nevertheless, financial independence is a major source of joy for all entrepreneurs.

Flexible working hours

Another major advantage of being your boss is flexible working hours. You get to decide when and how long you work. You can organize your schedule so you work at the time you are most effective. For instance, if you are a night owl, you can manage your schedule to sleep during the day and work through the night; This is impossible in a corporate 9-5 job.

Flexible working condition

As an entrepreneur, you get to determine and influence the environment in which you work; This ranges from equipment, co-workers, furniture, office location, etc. You get to create the perfect conditions for you and your business to grow by surrounding yourself with the right people and the right ambiance.

Job security

Being an entrepreneur means you can’t get fired. The fear and pressure of getting that threatening letter from your boss don’t exist. Your drive to work hard is based purely on achieving your goal and taking your business to the highest peak possible. Your motivation is positive enthusiasm to meet your full potential.

The joy of building something real

The joy of creating and nurturing a business is so overwhelming and fulfilling. Building your business from the ground up brick by brick, client by client, project by project, and sale by sale is bound to fill you with a sense of achievement. There is a special and joyous pride that comes with being the owner and builder of a successful business. That feeling is worth more than silver or gold.

The good, the bad and the profit of being your own boss.

Cons of Being an Entrepreneur

Your clients and team are your employers

As an entrepreneur, you are your boss. However, you are still accountable for a lot of people. You are responsible for your clients and customers. In many ways, you are responsible for your teammates whose careers are in your hands. If you want to run a successful business and lead an efficient team, you have to relate with everyone with guided respect and care. To be a good entrepreneur, you have to be answerable to your clients, customers, and employees. Treating them with respect and thriving for their joy and satisfaction is a necessary ingredient for success.

Long hours, pressure, and stress

Being an entrepreneur requires impossible hours. Sometimes you had wished there were more than twenty-four hours in a day. Success in entrepreneurship usually requires dedication, consistency, and determination. Everything hangs on your shoulders. There is no pressure or fear of getting fired. However, the task of keeping your business running and growing is enough to keep you busy and under intense pressure.

Financial insecurity

One secret that most people tend to miss is that with financial independence comes financial insecurity. Earning a salary gives you a steady stream of income, making it easy for you to plan for the future. However, as an entrepreneur, your rating is reliant on the success of your business and the market and economic cycles.

In essence, you don’t know for a fact how much you or your company would earn. Plans and projections are essential; however, they are not guaranteed. The business world is very fluid, and so is the financial state of an entrepreneur. To stay in business and avoid brokenness, you would need to have good financial discipline and money management skills.

Conclusion

Most times, entrepreneurship is presented in a single light. Super dark or super bright. However, entrepreneurship is a spectrum, and getting a clear picture would require careful consideration of all pros and cons.

In truth, some features of entrepreneurship double as pros and cons. It all comes down to how well you manage your business.  The good news is the pros outweigh the cons by an extensive margin.

Position 2 Profit Membership

Position 2 Profit Membership is for an online business community of leaders who want to position their business for profit. Business evolves at a different level when profit begins and how does your business grow from there? The group is led by Allison Todd, Operations & Digital Growth Strategist. Our members are committed to building a network of referrals, resources and accountability.  Entrepreneurship is hard but you don’t have to do it alone.

How to Stay Tuned In to Your Entrepreneurial Spirit During the Pandemic

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With the coronavirus on the loose and wreaking havoc on every industry globally, the life if an entrepreneur just got harder. Entrepreneurship is riddled with a lot of challenges and uncertainties.

However, this pandemic has heightened these challenges and uncertainties, making it even more difficult to run a business. In some parts of the world, running a business is downright impossible.

With many opinions and views out there on the best course for businesses and entrepreneurs to take, deciding the next step is even harder.

There is so much information and recommendations available, increasing the level of panic and uncertainties in the hearts of entrepreneurs.

What to do?

Rather than add to the growing noise and bombardment of information, we had rather keep things simple. The spirit of entrepreneurship is at its core problem solving and thinking outside the box. It’s the art of managing situations and adjusting to changes.

The virus has been affecting different sectors. While some businesses are facing booms and finding it hard to keep up with demand g. deliveries and logistics. Other companies are facing decline and finding it hard to keep the lights on e.g., restaurants and cab owners.

As an entrepreneur, now is the best time to take a step back and get in-tune with your entrepreneurial spirit. Don’t get carried away by the ocean of information and find yourself in an uncontrollable situation.

Access the situation calmly and choose a specific course of action after weighing the pros and cons, with your business and industry’s factors in mind.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the world is changing. And as life returns to a semblance of normalcy, new opportunities would come up, and some old business models would solidify. Ensure that you are in the right mindset to make the best out of the changes.

This is not the time to go with trends or make rash decisions. The key is to find the right balance between flexibility and rashness. Make quick but profoundly informed decisions, not hasty and ill-informed ones.

Webinar: Customer Onboarding After the Sale

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This webinar Customer Onboarding After the Sale will maximize your customers’ success, satisfaction, and retention with an exceptional post-purchase plan. The strategy taught in this webinar will give you the tools to welcome your new customer.

There are two reasons your clients decide not to stay after purchase. And you want to be prepared for both. Firstly, the customer doesn’t see the value in what they purchased. Secondly, the customer doesn’t understand your product or service. As such, you will create a post-purchase system to ensure customer satisfaction and successful product use.

 

AFTER THE SALE

Your customer wants to hear what you have to say. After all, they made the purchase. During the event, you will create content to ensure your customers achieve their desired results with your products and services. You will also outline the automated components of your post-purchase system. Your host, Coach Allison Todd, will guide you through each module.

  • Plan the Post-Purchase Experience
  • Set Up the First 30 Days
  • Create the Process for the Next Month & Beyond

WEBINAR TAKEAWAYS

During this webinar, you will get the tools and content needed to create your post-purchase process. From start to finish, this framework guides you through the planning and implementation of your customer onboarding process. Plus, all registrants receive a free download of the 3-Step Customer Onboarding Checklist. Tell your customers what to expect up front.

  • Understand the value and necessity of having a structured customer onboarding process to aid in customer retention and future sales
  • A step-by-step process for developing a customer onboarding program
  • Identify the key customer components that motivate future sales

ABOUT COACH

Allison Todd helps micropreneurs scale their teams and their profits through operations and digital marketing strategies. She is an accomplished executive with more than 20 years invested in managing businesses, building brands, and coaching executives. As a result, her work includes a variety of consulting services such as sales, team development, digital marketing, and executive coaching.

 

CUSTOMER ONBOARDING AFTER THE SALE CHEATSHEET
Customer-Onboarding-After-the-Sale-Cheat-Sheet

Scale and Grow Your Business with Allison Todd

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Scale and grow your business with Allison Todd because building business is not easy. So, don’t do it all by yourself. To make the most of your business, you must consider every detail. Every stage of business has its own set of challenges. And the art of balancing the time and money investment to ensure a profitable outcome isn’t easy. Thus it requires commitment and consistency to see your plan to goal.

The difficulty of starting a business is nothing compared to the tasks of scaling a business. One of the many wows of business includes that first time you make a profit. It is the subtle reassurance that you are on the right path. But, the real hurdle is doing that over and over again. Adding resources to business, consistently while adding revenue. This is what it is to scale your business.

Ideas are the foundation of business. And business are built on plans, reliant on execution. Plan BIG. Those plans include streamlining systems and automating processes, selecting the right team, understanding data and measurements of success and more. How you plan your profitability is just the beginning.

Irrespective of your market, from small to big business, a significant determinant of your business success is the scalability. It means you are managing all aspects of your business and making a profit, as you grow. It’s a fine balancing act of every piece of your business.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it’s the planning, productivity, position, people and profits. This is what the scale to profit package offers. It is more than just a successful marketing plan, it’s your whole business.

Coach Allison Todd and her team will help position your business for profit. They provide an actionable plan for business growth. The scale-to-profit package helps to turn your small idea into a profit-generating business.

Improve Business Sales with Better Relationships

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Advanced Sales and Marketing Services

Improve your business sales by attracting and developing better relationships. For instance, you must have a plan that cultivates your business value. Our sales and marketing model positions your business for profit. In other words, it helps you be less transactional and more relational. With the right customer service approach, you make a direct impact on your bottom line. Is your business ready to grow?

A well designed plan leads your customer to you, over and over again. Therefore, the goal is to focus on your current clients while attracting new ones to improve business sales. The strategy guides your customer acquisition process. Your unique selling proposition to demonstrate your business model and cultivate value.

Sales Consulting, Design and Planning

The key to customer acquisition goes beyond reduced costs. Take our sales journey and develop the road map to better business. The right model improves visibility, increases awareness, and reveals why your business stands out among your competitors. But don’t leave your competitors out of the process. It’s important to keep an eye on your industry and learn as you grow.

Above all, the best marketing plan includes word of mouth advertising to improve business sales. As a result, boost your sales by attracting your prospect. It’s important to gain an understanding of your market analysis, target audience, purchase path and buyer’s map. We are dedicated to working with business leaders who develop a brand story they are eager to share.

Our sales strategies include tactics and methods to acquire new customers and build a strong relationship. Allison Todd and team SiMar help you build the perfect sales and marketing model. For more information about our sales business expertise. Improve your business demand, contact us today!

 

 

4 Sales Training Strategies To Build A Powerful Team

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Effective sales strategies starts with clear and outlined processes and ends with the right team member. What sales strategies are you using to build your sales team? After all, the sales team determines business growth and stability. They are the people in charge of building good relationships with your customers. You can’t close the sale until you first build trust. Often trust equates to the customer being confident you know what you’re talking about, thus what you are selling. As a result, your sales team is essential to business success.

The most practical way to build a powerful sales team is with consistent and ongoing training. Your training strategies should motivate nurturing relationships while advancing sales. The content of the training should enhance the sales experience, address challenges, increase team performance and create a thriving workplace culture. In addition, your sales team members should have foundational learning and be open to adopt new sales techniques.

As a result, the team will be equipped to drive sales and contribute to business growth. These four sales training strategies will help build a powerful sales team.

Sales Training Strategies

Four Sales Training Strategies To Building A Powerful Sales Team

1. Practice Contributes to Perfection

Practicing your sales techniques is a great way to improve the business experience. The first and most important sales training strategy is practice. This includes role playing, shadowing, self-assessment and more. This also allows the business owner to best understand their teams’ assets. The opportunity for self-assessment, question and answer and collaborative conversations are all aids to the team member. This allows your team member to stay present and up to date in their expertise.

2. Train In the Field

The knowledge acquired from sales training is golden. And applying that knowledge in the field, also known as real world experiences, is critical to team development. Much of what you learn as a salesperson focuses on your ability to listen, problem solve and offer solutions to your customer. As such, a consistent customer service approach, will prevent you from responding to emotion vs rational. Therefore, real world experiences strengthen professional expertise. Teaming up a new sales member with an experienced sales member is an avenue to creating additional techniques. Each party can shadow the other, collaborate to develop new ideas, discuss techniques and troubleshoot challenges. Other real time experiences include business meetings, conferences, call reviews and customer reviews all provide real time practice and feedback.

3. Motivate Your Team Through Success Stories

Be okay with showing the team what works and what doesn’t. With transparency and constructive criticism, you provide your team member as much value as training. It’s also helpful to provide reasoning with action.  Apart from teaching sales theories, sharing success stories can inspire and motivate your team. Let your team hear other experiences and the different methods others use to overcome challenges. These strategies should be broken into digestible lessons reps can implement. Allow the team to analyze business process and expose them to strategies behind every successful sale.

4. Collaborations With Thought Leaders

These are valuable lessons transmitted from years of industry experience. And there is a difference between knowledge and wisdom. Leaders in your industry and in your business should be invited to discuss and share their sales experience. Oftentimes, you can learn as much from an expert as you can in a training class. Your team members can discuss and review the shared lessons with people who have an in depth understanding of their goals. Thus meaningful patterns of information provide the team member and the business owner value.

Conclusion

If you are getting the sales training right, then your sales team is responding with more sales. Don’t be afraid to adopt a “think out loud” method in your meetings. And recognize that your sales teams are constantly evolving. Insight, information and discussion are invaluable. Invest in your sales department, empower your employees, and give them access to the best sales training technique and resources.As a result, your business and the team will grow.

Teach Them to Sell

This e-book helps you identify the reasons your team isn’t performing as well as they should be. It offers tried and tested sales strategies to help you build the most productive and profitable team.

Four Sales Training Strategies To Building A Powerful Sales Team

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