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Does Your Brochure Pass the Test - Or is It Headed for the Trash? Part One
The decision on whether or not someone will read your brochure is usually decided in the first 5 seconds they look at it. What kind of message are you communicating in that five seconds? Will you make a favorable impression with your prospect? Will you move your prospect closer to the sale?There are really only two key elements that will determine how well your brochure is received by prospects. These two elements will ultimately make the difference in your brochure being a tool that makes you money, or just something else that costs you money.What are those two all-important elements: 1. the Image or look 2. the MessageThis is part 1 in a two-part article. In part 1 we will discuss what you need

people stood between the folks trying to sell, including individuals brought on board as salespeople, and those who should have been putting the process together and monitoring it. A middle management layer was firmly in place in a company that didn’t need any, or at best very few, people in the middle. Of course she was used to a large middle management staff in her previous corporate life so she built the same in her new life.

Corporate Gifting - A Culture To Nurture
In the wake of globalization and increased business linkages, gift-giving has been moulded to suit the demands of a growth-oriented and competitive business atmosphere. MNCs, business houses with global links and export houses are the core contributors to the growth of this culture. Gifts can play a role in awarding of contracts, finalizing joint ventures and in wooing the right kind of VC. Goal-oriented gifting is a known phenomena in the Global Corporate World.But beware. It is first important to understand the global gift culture, which can have a big impact on the psyche of foreign partners. Most business representatives from overseas firms do not like to take gifts when dealing with Indian companies as it may

Running or owning a company is not an easy task. The pressure to perform is intense. Payrolls and profits have to be met and satisfied. People have to be hired and treated well. And an overall air of dynamic energy has to be created. For some folks the “running a business” learning curve can be quite emotional.

About a year ago, a friend of mine, along with a group of other investors, purchased a sizable company and she became the CEO. The organization is national in scope and reputation, has existing clients, an experienced and trustworthy workforce and, when she bought it, had a significant cash flow.

The company’s focus is in the financial consulting area. Its clients are secured through contracts running anywhere from a few months to a few years. They are paid well in exchange for making and/or saving their clients substantial sums of money.

With approximately seventy-five contracts in place at the time the company was secured by my friend, she found herself overseeing a staff of about one hundred and monitoring some hefty deals. But it wasn’t long before cracks began to appear in the organization’s foundation. Unbeknownst to my friend (we’ll call her Kelly for the sake of this article), the company who previously owned her organization had not supported it with any sizable sales or marketing effort.

Two months after assuming control and with a few contracts at their termination point, she began to realize that there had not been (and was not currently) a sustained sales effort to secure new contracts. The existing staff was viewed as the first line of salespeople. However, these folks were consultants and not a professional sales staff. Everyone was told to look for opportunities within the existing client base or search out other prospects. One problem…none of them knew how to do that.

A marketing firm was hired. They were supposedly familiar with the industry, which according to my friend seemed like a good reason to retain them. After several months of having them on board it became obvious that they talked a good game but their work was not creative, their ad copy was abysmal, the design of collateral materials was confusing and their understanding of the business was certainly outweighed by their inability to market and communicate the expertise of Kelly’s firm to the industry.

My friend had one other situation that she forgot to recognize. She had never run a company of any size. She had been a supporting senior executive throughout much of her career. And there’s a difference between being a senior executive and being an entrepreneurial CEO. Too many people stood between the folks trying to sell, including individuals brought on board as salespeople, and those who should have been putting the process together and monitoring it. A middle management layer was firmly in place in a company that didn’t need any, or at best very few, people in the middle. Of course she was used to a large middle management staff in her previous corporate life so she built the same in her new life.

Preparing For A Job Interview: Techniques You May Not Have Thought Of
Preparing for a job interview is an area that job searchers typically don’t do well. In my experience as a recruiter, I have dealt with many people who work really hard to make it to the interview stage and then get lazy.Trying to wing it during an interview – just showing up and expecting to think of answers off the top of your head – is no way to prepare for a job interview.Properly preparing for a job interview is what sets successful job searchers apart from less successful ones.Certainly success in a job interview has little correlation to your ability to actually do the job but the bottom line is that the interview process is what companies use to determine whether or not you are someone they want t

l consulting area. Its clients are secured through contracts running anywhere from a few months to a few years. They are paid well in exchange for making and/or saving their clients substantial sums of money.

Just Do It and Ask for Forgiveness Later
The greatest shifts in American culture tend to originate from the media, but even something as innocuous as a saying can drive a cultural change. One saying in particular seems to epitomize a cultural shift that seems to be going unnoticed.“Just do it and ask for forgiveness later.”Heard that one lately? Used that one lately? We all have, and most of us have likely heard this used at work.The first time I heard it, I was a little shocked. It sounded like something I would have used as a kid while trying to rationalize using Mom’s Visa Card without her knowledge. Taken aback, I looked back at my manager to see if he was serious; he was. The walls of resistance softened, and I began to nod slowly. The stam

or marketing effort.

The Key Skills of a Top Manager
Management training programs and management training courses are meant to hone the managerial skills of a person. Sometimes, it is through these management training programs that an individual discovers he or she has a particular skill. So, what are the key skills of a top manager?• Management training programs and management training courses will point out that good communication skills are of paramount importance to a manager. A manager has to be a great communicator if he wants to become a great manager. Communication skill is not just about speaking but listening as well. Good communication should avoid ambiguity. If there is a chance that a message might be misunderstood then it should be clarified. Communication

n to retain them. After several months of having them on board it became obvious that they talked a good game but their work was not creative, their ad copy was abysmal, the design of collateral materials was confusing and their understanding of the business was certainly outweighed by their inability to market and communicate the expertise of Kelly’s firm to the industry.

Public Relations for Hockey Teams
Public relations for the game of hockey is not as easy as it used to be. Today, more and more parents are concerned that the game of hockey is too bloody and too violent. It isn't really however, in the United States of America we are trying to develop young people with good sportsmanship and trying to create all athletes is equals.Perhaps this is part of the political correctness, which is weakening the American society and making our children weak as they grow up into adults? Perhaps this is the political correctness, which is weakening the American spirit and causing problems in the work force, where individual employees will not take the initiative and executive upper management refuses to make important decisio

Worse yet, there was no strategic sales plan. A catch as catch can atmosphere was created, with an overriding air of tension and pressure. Those who were given the responsibility to sell (and the responsibilities were shifted continually) were told different strategies on different days. Rather then mining existing clients, dividing prospects into areas or regions, building long tern relationships, networking effectively and efficiently and asking for referrals, she would walk around the office and/or call her “salespeople” on the phone and ask, “Are there any sales yet?” without consistent and specific guidelines as to how to get prospects and close them.

Since she had never been in the type of business she now found herself, she also didn’t take the time to research the average sales cycle. If she would have, she may have realized that it took, on average, eight to twelve months to close a sale. This would have saved her and her employees quite a bit of anxiety and anguish.

All was not lost however. Kelly woke up one day (after much advice from friends and advisors) and decided to rearrange the sales process. Those who were good at networking were to concentrate solely on that. People with a large referral base were to work their contacts extensively. Existing and previous clients became the responsibility of two people with delineations as who did what. The marketing folks were let go. Middle management ranks were trimmed. And sales training was put in place for the folks in the field.

A retreat was scheduled so that everyone could be given a clear understanding about the new direction of the company. Kelly also realized that if she didn’t put herself out as the face of the company she was missing a chance to network with other CEO’s and decision makers. And she also resigned herself to a realistic view of the sales cycle.

Armed with her new energy the company has begun to turn around, but not without cost, both hard and soft. New investment dollars had to be, and were, raised and new projections devised. More realistic goals were set and more proficient employees hired.

The job of attaining new contracts is daunting, but some how I have the feeling that Kelly and her reshaped company is up to the task.

To avoid costly problems:

Have a clear and distinct method for keeping your pipeline filled

Train your employees to optimize their abilities as well as learn new skills

Check out any consultants, advisors, and/or 1099 firms or individuals you engage. Get references.

Realistically assess your strengths and weaknesses.

Assign responsibilities and accountabilities within the framework of well-defined processes.

Know what the average sales cycle is for your product and/or service

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Your small business wouldn’t hire a CPA that didn’t know tax law, so why hire a graphic artist with no marketing expertise? It sounds elementary but otherwise sharp businesspeople pour thousands of investment dollars down the drain by hiring inexperienced, ill-equipped graphic artists. Does your company do this as well? Chances are you have or you’re doing it now. Take 5 minutes and learn how to avoid throwing good money after bad art. The current graphic artist you’re paying won’t thank you but your accountant and your bottom line probably will!

Project management is this not performed properly in industry. Most project managers are not flexible enough in their approach and do not consider the customer view point. This article discusses simple methods to ensure a successful project

Are you struggling to meet your revenue targets for high-value sales? Your high performing stars are performing well, but you want to lift the performance of the bulk of your sales force. This article covers the biggest mistakes in key account management and how to avoid them. In addition, the article gives you best practice tools and techniques you can apply to your business today to win more high-value deals more consistently.

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