Building up an effective sales program is complicated. Leads, knowledge of your product and your market, an excellent sales team, and high quality technology and resources all help you support that team. Even then, you have to keep your own skills as a business professional sharp, honing them regularly with knowledge of the marketplace. Avidian has assembled some of the best information, expertise and technical tricks from the edge of the business blogging world for your benefit. Take a few moments to sharpen up.
SEO For Business Explained: A Conversation with Rand Fishkin (Entrepreneur)
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, makes your material stand out when people search in your field. Creating content that adheres to the best SEO practices requires a lot of thought; top-quality content helps, but it won’t guarantee you top-tier results on Google or, increasingly, other services. Take half an hour to look at this piece from Rand Fishkin, a Seattle SEO savant, which will walk you through the recipe for SEO perfection, as well as what to look for if you seek SEO solutions from outside your business.
Top 10 Qualities That Make A Great Leader (Forbes.com)
Do you have what it takes to be a leader? Most people do, but improvements can always be made. This article illustrates leadership qualities which you should build to help keep your team’s morale, productivity, and more through the roof. Some of them, like maintaining a positive attitude, may not be new, but you can find guidance here on how to cultivate these qualities in yourself and inspire your team to greatness.
12+ Tips and Tricks to Work Faster in Microsoft Outlook (Lifehacker.com)
Many businesses use Microsoft Outlook, but do all of them know how to get the most out of it? This comprehensive guide demonstrates less obvious features, shows keyboard shortcuts, and provides guidance on efficient usage, which can lead to huge productivity gains. If you and your team can use email more effectively, that leaves more time for sales.
Battling the 57%: From Sex to Romance – The Ultimate Flank (Business 2 Community)
This eye-catching title comes alludes to the examples of Viagra and Cialis in the sexual aid market, showing ways to use your product to build market-share. It’s said that 57% of a customer’s purchasing cycle is over before she contacts you, the supplier. With those sorts of odds, you need to build a relationship with every client to keep them coming back; one thing that helps, of course, is a CRM tool such as Avidian’s easy to use, Outlook-based CRM solution.
3 Questions You Must Ask To Build A Great Sales Team (Kevin Daum)
Many entrepreneurs have amazing sales skills, but their training and management skills are often lacking, leading to slow expansion.. Kevin Daum lays out three key ways to get past those doldrums: aggressive recruiting, developing training (“don’t grow sales; grow salespeople”) and getting together your playbook. Figue out how you sell best, then give your team the best technology to execute.
How Sales Complexity impacts your Startup’s Viability (David Skok, forentrepreneurs.com)
How do you determine how to sell your product? Skok, who has founded five companies, walks through various models of sales that can be used to more effectively enhance the business of modern technology startups, and focuses in part on the idea of “cost of customer acquisition.” How much does your complexity cost you? Can you simplify and boost your profits? By carefully assessing your sales complexity, you can find ways to make your products more attractive.
Sales Has Changed Dramatically Over The Past Few Years And There IS Opportunity (Tammy Heaton)
While the fundamentals of building customer relationships may be the same, key demographics have changed drastically. Boomers are aging out of the workforce, while Generation X and Millennials have risen to replace them as consumers. The Internet has fundamentally altered how people shop. This article guides you on how to structure your sales approach to adapt to these changes. It may not be gospel, but some things, such as training and supporting your sales team, spring eternal.
7 Principles for Individual Sales Success (Business2Community)
Focusing on the individual sales expert, these seven principles give a foundation for success that focuses on core values like integrity and empathy. Setting goals and staying motivated can be challenging, but the rewards are sweeter when they come from your efforts alone. Your tools should support the exercise of these values; CRM tools can empower solitary pros as much as whole firms, enabling individuals to more effectively act on ideals like enterprise and ambition.