Today's Issue
- Editor's Take
- SME Power Quote
- Business Article: How To Generate New Leads & Grow Your Business In A Down Economy
- Events: Strategic Marketing: Getting New Customers for your Business (Tuesday 1 July); ISO 9000 Quality Management System Awareness Course (Thursday 3 July); PC World Philippines Roundup (Thursday 3 July); Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Week (Sunday 06 – Sunday 13 July); How to Start a Business (Tuesday 8 July); Industrial Design Forum (Tuesday 8 July); OTOP (One Town, One Product) Luzon Trade Fair (Wednesday 9 - Sunday 13 July); and SME Expo (Wednesday 9 - Sunday 13 July)
- Tax Calendar
SME Power Quote:
"A big part of financial freedom is having your heart and mind free from worry about the what-ifs of life"
- Suze Orman
How to Generate New Leads and Grow Your Business in a Down Economy
The marketplace is shifting and products and companies are looking more and more similar. The successful salesperson succeeds through the creation of value, not just the communication of it. What do I mean: there can no longer be an acceptance of talking brochures. But what is value? Value is very personal and it depends on the perception of the buyer.
VALUE = BENEFITS – COST
Therefore, the company must increase benefits and create value or decrease costs. Value is something that the customer is willing to pay for.
HOW TO SUCCEED
* Make certain that your products and services are flexible and customizable to the needs of the customer.
* You must have the tools and processes in place that let the salesperson succeed…diagnosis of unrecognized needs; creative problem-solving and solutions.
The most important component in the sales process is questioning. Questions allow the prospect to talk and if you ask the right questions, the prospect will tell you what they need to be sold and how you should sell them.
To read full story, click here!
Tax Calendar
Monday 7 July- e-Filing/Filing & e-Payment/Payment of 2000 - Documentary Stamp Tax Declaration/Return for the Month of Month of June 2008.
Source: Bureau of Internal RevenueEditor's Take
What would keep a business well and thriving? No, its not your glitzy campaign materials, nor your well developed marketing strategy. Although both are big contributory factors, it’s the plain and simple two-word phrase that would keep you in the industry for the long haul: Added Value.
Such trite words, but sure add punch in every business transaction. Added Value is like the lettuce, tomato and onion rings in your plain hamburger; it’s the cherry on top of an ice cream; it’s the extra serving of hot salsa of your mozzarella stick. You get the point. Added Value may be the little things that matter, but they sure turn your customers bright-eyed.
In any business organization, three steps should be accounted for, in order to stay on the race: Add value to your products, sell it for more than the manufactured cost and lastly, make customers realize and appreciate the value that you added. This is business in a nutshell – although simplistic, its execution is not exactly a walk in the park.
For starters, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) when selling their goods may fail to make customers appreciate the cost. The answer is not to lower the price - but add more value to the product or service.
An SME food chain may charge the same or a bit higher than your big fast food conglomerate. While both offer fast food service; the SME’s distinct mark could be its alfresco dinning experience; its Filipino-inspired ambiance or probably its fun packaging. Whatever it is, the elements, when put together, should create an experience like no other – inimitable. This is what will make your customers come back for more added-value goodness.
Business growth may be at your grasp even without fancy marketing paraphernalia; the superb experience a customer encounters is enough a marketing strategy to keep you on the hype: word of mouth. So instead of thinking about the nitty-gritty of marketing, why not stop and mull over what added value can extra your products. In the end, you’ll keep your customers satisfied and talking.
Believe it, people spend their resources to suit themselves. Creating more opportunities for satisfaction would allow your business success, and this is all thanks to two trite words: Added Value.
Resource Book: Quain, Bill. B2B Means Back to Basics. Inti Publishing:USA, 2001.
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