SEO: Search Engine Optimization - Pathyway to Profits

Why SEO and Who Needs It
In this age of information when searching for something on the Internet people normally look it up in popular search engines like: Google, Alexa, Gigablast, or Yahoo. They do not go beyond the first or second page of the searched results i.e. the first 20-40 of the hundreds of thousands results popped up by the search engines. If the information is available on the Internet, it is found, more often than not, in these first few search results. Browsing through the top websites thrown up by the search engines related to the information suffices. Studies on internet search behavior and eye tracking have confirmed this.

As obtaining information and doing business online has become a popular practice, individuals and organizations that are conducting business on the Internet fully or partially should be more visible on the Internet. Websites of such organizations need to come up among the top ten/twenty of the search results to be noticed by people. Small businesses as well as large organizations that depend on online business need to rank high up on the search engines. The higher the rank of a website more is its number of visitors, and possibly more business for the website.

The websites that come at the top of the search engine results are not there by accident. Careful planning, designing, and programming are the factors behind pushing the ranking of a website higher up. The process of elevating a website to a better ranking and higher visibility is known as search engine optimization (SEO).

How SEO Works
Imagine the World Wide Web to be a huge library stacked up with innumerable websites. When somebody tries to search for specific information using a search form, a robot (much like a library assistant) scans the relevant section of the library of websites. Similar to libraries that have categorized sections for books, the search engines have indexes for the crawlers to search through. The robot (also known as spider or crawler) searches through HTML data bases and selects the most relevant websites first. Search engines use different algorithms to judge relevance of websites to the information searched for.

SEO consultants help in designing websites by using keywords and other methodologies. They attempt to make the meta tags, contents, and links of the websites become more tractable for search engine algorithm. Search engines outline their own policies of search engine optimization and it’s the responsibility of the SEO consultant to adhere to those. Failing which search engines can ban websites. Therefore SEO consultants have to strike a balance between ‘keyword stuffing or spamdexing’ and ‘paucity of keywords’.

Search engine optimization has gained importance with the growth of online business. A website foraying in to the World Wide Web without using SEO techniques is akin to a soldier rushing in to battle without a gun. Obviously, SEO is being hailed as a valuable marketing tool."No wonder, SEO is being hailed as a valuable marketing tool.

Why Sales Training is Essential

Selling is a unique profession that can be regarded both as a science and an art. Principles of sales are based on scientific rules of cause and effect. But excelling in sales or achieving super success in sales is an art form, an art form that is no less exact and precise than a master painter’s brush strokes. Producing good music is an art form too. All most all musicians know about the basic science of musical notes but only a maestro knows how to intermingle the notes to produce great music. So is selling.

Not every trained sales person will become a super seller, but every single successful seller is trained somewhere by someone about the nuances of sales. All sales persons need to be trained to achieve their business targets. How well a sales man succeeds depends on his aptitude, the trainer’s skills, and the training methods used. But sales training in some form or other is essential for every sales person.

Sales training can be imparted in various forms: class room training, one-on-one training, or on field training. The training method can be adjusted to the varying need of organizations and their sales team. Sales training can focus on only one aspect of sales or the entire gamut of activities related to sales. For instance, a sales team may have difficulties only in closing deals. They can benefit on sales training concentrating only on closing deals and improving that aspect of sales. A sales team hiring new sales staff would benefit from giving comprehensive sales training starting from cold calls to closing.

Senior managers and executives require as much sales training as the fresh recruits. It’s a myth that senior managers have all the experience and hence all the knowledge and do not need any training in sales. They may be overlooking simple things, over doing certain things, ignoring certain basics of sales process, or may be completely unaware of certain latest developments in sales. Sales training for them would help them over come these problems.

Four billion dollars – that’s how much goes in to sales training every year as reported by ES Research group in 2006. The group also found in studies that more than 90% of all sales programs lead to increased sales. An interesting finding of the research group was that nearly half of the funds spent on training go to third party sales training organizations. Surely, business owners, senior managers, and decision makers know exactly what they are doing and why they are spending money on sales training. The study also has shown that the revenues coming from sales increase by 20 percent after training. But the difference in revenues earned fizzles out after a period of six months or so.

Regular sales training helps in sustaining the gains secured from the first sales training program. This emphasizes the point that sales training is not a one off event or an annual event. It’s an ongoing process that helps in honing the skills of the sales professionals constantly.

Winning the Sales Race through Sales Coaching

At the outset the difference between sales training and sales coaching should be made clear. Sales training prepares sales professionals and sales coaching attempts at preparing sales champions. Sales coaching is a process in which an experienced sales trainer or coach gets involved in the sales process of an organization not only within the four walls of the training hall but also on the field. A sales coach goes on to work with the sales team of an organization on the remedies he has suggested. He gets on to the war zone leading from the front. By demonstrating that what he preached in the training room can be practical the sales coach inspires sales professionals of an organization.

The aim of a sales coach is to find out how far a sales person or a group of sales persons is removed from where they should be and then bridge that gap. A fresh recruit may need coaching on implementing perfectly the things that he learnt during the sales training sessions. An executive may find that the going is getting tough after a few months of working. The initial months may have gone fine but she may find that her skills are not working as they did when she started out. And an experienced sales person may find that he was very good at notching up the numbers through referrals and repeat sales. But when the organization underwent some structural changes and he was supposed to make cold calls again to build a new prospect base, his cold calling skills that were excellent a couple of years ago are ineffective now. Getting used to easy sales through referrals and repeat sales he finds the objections and rejection indigestible. These types of sales problems can be handled by the sales coach on one-on-one basis.

From making cold calls to closing deals a sales coach may get involved in the sales process providing vital insights and suggesting changes. He will be present when you make cold calls, observing you, listening to your conversation, and making notes of various points. He will approve if your call quality was good and suggest you to continue in the same manner or he may suggest improvement wherever necessary. Whatever his suggestions, the end result should be generating more appointments and opportunities for sales presentations.

A sales coach is unobtrusive. The sales coach remains on the side line much like Phil Jackson, the famous NBA coach, and feeds the players with crucial hints and suggestion only during the time outs and breaks. If you are going in the wrong direction during a cold call the sales coach will not stop you, but let you proceed. Once the call is over he will show you where you went wrong and how best you can avoid the same mistake. A sales manager may try and interrupt to salvage the situation, but not a sales coach. And a sales coach will persist till you get it right.

Mentoring plays a vital role in sales. Outside sales coaches do a fantastic job as inside sales managers may face resistance and resentment from the sales staff.
What a sales manager cannot do a sales coach can achieve that for his easy approach and acceptability by the coached.

Sales Training and Coaching - The Why behind the How!

Realize that selling is a numbers game. Get more no’s and you’ll get more yes’s.
Sidney Friedman

When you miss the sale, it is even more important to make a cheerful, friendly, optimistic, and courteous exit than it is when you make the sale.
Zig Ziglar
· Don’t pity yourself
· Start each day with a target
· Be friendly always
· Always set an additional step then necessary
· Be alert for each opportunity
· Each problem has a positive side
· Laugh in moment of hatred and anger
· Concentrate on one thing
· Be proud and satisfied
· Examine the acts of the day at night
Og Mandino
The Value of Training
A kung Fu master trains his disciples about the rigors involved in learning the intricacies of movements of the martial art form. Every Samurai warrior has a master. A tiger cub learns the skill of hunting from his mother. A mamma bear teaches her cubs where to stand in the stream to catch fish without being swept off by the strong currents. Music students are trained by virtuosos in perfecting notes, professional athletes train under expert coaches constantly pushing the limits of endurance and strength, experienced mechanics guide trainee mechanics, and parents acquaint their children about the ways of the world and train them in social skills. Every skill that has to be learned requires training. Ever imagined a pilot or a ballet dancer without training?
Sales – a formidable part of daily life and that is practiced by everybody is no exception to this rule. Though the debate is still on – whether a good sales man is a natural seller or a trained one, there is no denying the fact that training can improve sales skills and effectiveness. Of course, there are natural super sales men, artists, actors, wealth makers, and other geniuses that are not formally trained by anybody. But their numbers are very limited and even they have received some form of guidance at the initial stages of their career by unsung coaches, trainers, or parents. Tiger Woods may not have been trained as Andre Agassi was coached by the celebrity coach Nick Bolletierri, but he learnt the nuances of golf from his father in his initial years before ascending the rungs.
Sales skill is a part science and part art form that can be honed to perfection with practice under the guidance of a guru. Sales involves product knowledge, good communication and presentation skills, understanding buyer psychology, terrific people skills, and a positive attitude. On the surface it may sound simple but sales involves complex techniques and requires a mastery over them. Neither everyone is endowed with these qualities since birth, nor do they join sales fully loaded with the requisite qualities. Sales skills training target these aspects of sales and empower sales personnel with the necessary skills to win over customers.
Business sales training prepares rookies in sales to learn the tricks of the trade. Those with experience in sales also may sometimes get disheartened and will be at a loss to explain their low performance. They benefit from the expertise of a sales guru’s motivational sales training. Every organization that has a sales department invests in sales and marketing training to enhance the skill levels of its sales force. Some do it frequently and others periodically. Sales management training imparted by sales management consultants may target the sales process adopted by a business or its entire sales force for performance enhancement.
About the Author
Doug Dvorak helps companies and professionals achieve results through customized, creative and non-traditional sales training systems that are “one size fits one” and developed to the unique business needs and “sales pain points” of each client.
He is available to speak on these topics.

For more information visit http://www.salescoach.us or call 847-359-6969

Permission is granted to reprint this article in print or on your web site as long as the paragraph above is included and contact information is provided

Copyright 2008 The Sales Coaching Institute, Inc.Sales Skills Training l Strategic Sales Coaching Chicago, IL l 847-359-6969 l doug@dougdvorak.comhttp://www.salescoach.us

How to Define A Sales Process for Sales Success!

Defining a Sales Process
In simple terms, a sales process is a systematic approach involving a series of steps that enables a sales force to close more deals, increase margins and make more sales through referrals.
The 'series of steps' are customer-centric and help the sales force of a company to retain customers and increase sales volume as well as revenues. The 'series of steps' are systematic and not haphazard. Random acts produce random and uncertain results. In sales, random acts can be used occasionally, but a systematic and well-defined best practices approach can assure predictable results.
The establishment and implementation of a sales process with definable steps in a company could result in:
• Predictable Outcomes - desired and predictable outcomes through a series of actions that could lead to more sales and higher margins.
• Repeatable Activities - activities that should be repeated to obtain the desired outcomes again and again by any salesperson within the organization.
• Tangible Results - the outcomes that can be measured and compared.
• Relevancy for Others - A good sales process may be cloned to suit other organizations and they may emulate a successful sales process model. A group of companies may apply a particularly productive sales process to all or some of its divisions.
Simply having a sales process in place doesn't guarantee anything, just like simply buying and installing exercising equipment doesn't lead to a chiseled body. Proper use makes the difference. Actively using and a desire to become willing to implement a sales process could lead to more sales.
Normally a sales process involves the following key steps:
1. Prospecting
2. Qualifying
3. Proposal/presentation
4. Handling Objections
5. Closing
6. Follow-up for repeat business - referrals
Characteristics of an Effective Sales Process
Any ordinary sales process may produce the desired results in normal times. But an effective sales process has elasticity to accommodate extra ordinary situations. Is your company prepared to meet a sudden spike in demand for your products or services?
Does your sales process have the elasticity to deal with fluctuations in customer buying trends? Is your customer database current and up-to-date? Does your sales process take in to account the change in buyer tastes and preferences?
Effective sales processes stand the rigors of changing times and market conditions and produce the best possible results in most circumstances. An effective sales process produces sales results with unerring precision as a manufacturing unit produces finished products. An effective sales process manufactures customers. It's a 'customer manufacturing system'. Isn't that an awesome productivity tool for any company to own?
Just as a manufacturing unit uses raw materials, strategy, technology, and manpower to produce finished goods, a sales process can be viewed as an integrated method where manpower refers to the sales force, the product or service is the raw material, strategy refers to sales plans and methods, and technology refers to the latest communication and sales technologies.
A results oriented sales process accomplishes the following tasks:
• Identifying and qualifying leads so as to take in to account only those prospects that truly have the potential to buy according to their importance to assign the right resources to each of them. Successful salespeople spend more time with their top revenue producing accounts.
• Impress the customer with the uniqueness of the product/service and your company.
• Talk about the 'need' of the customer and develop customized value propositions to solve their business issue.
• Convince the customer that your company is the one that can take care of the 'need' and none can do it better than you.
• Assess the purchasing power of each potential customer.
• Larger percentage of profitable sales.
• Forge stronger bonds between the company and the customers through the sales staff.
• Exploring the possibility of up selling and repeat business. Ensure repeat business through adequate customer satisfaction and proper follow up. It costs five to eight times more to acquire a new customer than selling to an existing customer. (Source: Personal Selling Power Magazine)

About the Author
Doug Dvorak helps companies and professionals achieve results through customized, creative and non-traditional sales training systems that are “one size fits one” and developed to the unique business needs and “sales pain points” of each client.
He is available to speak on these topics.

For more information visit http://www.salescoach.us or call 847-359-6969

Permission is granted to reprint this article in print or on your web site as long as the paragraph above is included and contact information is provided

Copyright 2008 The Sales Coaching Institute, Inc.Sales Skills Training l Strategic Sales Coaching Chicago, IL l 847-359-6969 l doug@dougdvorak.comhttp://www.salescoach.us

How Sales Training Consultants Empower Sales Forces

Sales coaches and sales training speakers are veterans in the field of sales. Equipped with years of hard on-field experience these pundits know how and what works in sales. They enrich their knowledge derived from higher education in business or sales and marketing administration with a liberal dose of practical wisdom. Staying up-to-date with the evolving technologies that relate to sales, they provide the best sales skills training. From macro to micro level, these astute sales coaches are adept at dealing with all sorts of problems dogging the sales department of an organization. Their deep insight and practical suggestions help businesses improve their overall sales performance. Sales management consultants are great psychologists too and can easily read the body language and attitude of sales people and suggest remedies if need be. They come loaded with tons of motivational and positive energy to charge up a sluggish and lackluster sales force.
Sales training speakers lift up the sagging morale of the sales force of an organization. Sales management consultants zero in on the problems bothering the sales team. Out of the box thinking and uncritical way of suggesting solutions endear them to the sales team and their ideas are accepted without much resistance. Sales training consultants also lay down flawless sales processes for businesses. Sales management consultants check each and every step of the sales process of a business and track down flaws. Their latest ideas and methods help in overhauling faulty sales processes completely. They identify the strengths and weaknesses of the sales force and suggest ways to overcome the weaknesses and capitalize on the strengths.
Sales training speakers empower sales teams with their insightful advices. Their sales tips change the attitude of the sales people of an organization. They teach the sales staff to take control and be in charge. Ideally, sales can happen in a situation where the prospect has a problem or a need and the sales person provides a solution to the problem or addresses the need. That means the solution provider, the sales person should be in control, and not the solution seeker. Productive sales training consulting is based on this and trains sales persons to operate from a point of strength and not weakness. Sales training speakers from good sales training institutes motivate and prepare winners. And most importantly they do it in the most pleasant and inoffensive way.
Business and Motivational Sales Training - Target Areas
A professional sales trainer identifies what ails the sales department and then he sets about his job of fixing things. The aim of the sales management consultant is to identify weak areas and suggest remedies to fortify them. It could be the lack of proper co-ordination between the sales and the customer service department that’s resulting in a lot of communication gaps and giving rise to confusion in the minds of the customers. Or it could be the poor after sales service that is fetching less repeat business.
A reputable sales training institute and its trainer will pin down the causes of low performance with thorough analysis of every aspect of sales and related issues of the company. A simple thing as an unclear product description brochure could confuse the sales staff. The sales staff may be following an ineffective or a sales process that they view as “too theoretical” or “management’s fantasy”. A professional sales training consultant would detect the flaws and suggest remedial measures.
About the Author
Doug Dvorak helps companies and professionals achieve results through customized, creative and non-traditional sales training systems that are “one size fits one” and developed to the unique business needs and “sales pain points” of each client.
He is available to speak on these topics.

For more information visit http://www.salescoach.us or call 847-359-6969

Permission is granted to reprint this article in print or on your web site as long as the paragraph above is included and contact information is provided

Copyright 2008 The Sales Coaching Institute, Inc.Sales Skills Training l Strategic Sales Coaching Chicago, IL l 847-359-6969 l doug@dougdvorak.comhttp://www.salescoach.us

How Quality in a Sales Process Improves Sales

There were days when companies thought about improving the product alone to enhance sales. In today's hyper-competitive global market, growing sales is typically based on improving the sales process first. Understanding the sales process and how best the sales force is adapting to it will enable companies to focus on the sales resources better.
A commitment to quality in the sales process is central to the growth dynamics of any enterprise. Each step in a sales process should be well defined and the action to be performed clearly set. Beginning from researching leads to closing a sale, everything should move in clockwork precision. Apparently trivial things can make a huge difference to the final outcome. So care must be taken to strengthen every action involved in each step of the sales process. And often it's mistakenly assumed that sales
process improvement means sales training. Sales training may be a part of the sales process improvement training, but it is a broader subject.
Following are some examples of how improving the sales process can make a difference.
Fresh and Creative Prospecting - The list of leads should be current and include as many qualified leads as possible. Trying to qualify prospects from a partially redundant list of leads is going to waste your time and prospecting efforts. A firm with a stale source of leads has got it all wrong from the beginning. Working on the leads and checking for their revenue potential will mean that you start your prospecting activities from a position of sales strength. This will require good lead generating and customer relationship management (CRM) practices.
A Chilean company, Andrueza Patrimonios, rode the wave of economic boom and made impressive growth. But soon the sales force found that they were making duplicate calls and that the information gathered during sales calls with clients were lost. This is the example of a terrible loss because of the absence of a good customer relationship management - CRM - program to keep track of all the information.
All possible channels of generating leads should be considered. Have you tried social networking websites apart from trade shows, seminars, and lists of companies as potential customers? Do you know how and when each of your prospects prefers to be contacted? A good sales process makes provisions for all of these sales actions.
Response Time and Quality
Sales depend on external customers that have identifiable expectations from your company. They wish that their questions and concerns be responded to within a reasonable time limit. They expect a certain level of clarity and objectivity in the answers they receive from salespeople. A simple issue, such as response time to a new client inquiry can make a huge difference to actual sales outcomes. When a customer wants a proposal from a company she/he expects to get an initial response within a few hours and an actual proposal within a reasonable time frame depending the size and nature of the project. If a sales rep fails to send a proposal in a reasonable time-frame he is out of the race even before it has begun.
Technology can play a vital role in responding quickly. An email from the customer can be accessed when out of the office and responded to instantly through a Blackberry, Palm, and Windows Mobile. There are many customer relationship management- CRM- tools out there that are inexpensive and yet very useful. It is a sin not to be using these devices to get back to customers immediately.
A set of winning proposals of past sales can be stored in your company data bank and every salesperson should be allowed free access to them.
The stored proposals should cater to all permutations and combinations of customer requirements within all budget ranges. So the moment there is a proposal request from a customer, a sales rep will just have to search for a few proposals broadly fitting the customer's requirements from the archive. From those the best one suiting the customer and the sales opportunity should be selected. This should only take a few minutes. Changing the content of the proposal to tailor it to the exact need of the customer is what the rep in question has to work on before sending it to the customer. Remember customers appreciate a quick response. A delayed response may reach a customer when the deal is already closed.
Streamlining Product Information
A Fortune 50 telecom company had 300 product descriptions on its web site that were being referred to by its sales force of 5000 people spread all over the world. The product description was done by several authors and lacked coherence as well as uniformity in voice. That caused confusion among the sales reps and they found it difficult to provide consistent information. They couldn't find quick answers and when they found answers those didn't match the sales process. They didn't trust the web site. A consulting firm was roped in to set the problem right. The consulting firm streamlined the product information and created a logical and intuitive navigation framework for the web site to support the sales process.
The consulting firm rewrote the product descriptions in a uniform style. Salespersons could now access information at every step of the sales process and there was consistency in the information they obtained. They could digest the information easily and share it with the clients.
The revamping resulted in the elimination of 66% of unnecessary information and a 70% increase in web site use and traffic. The division manager of product marketing for the telecom company admitted that the bottom line was - a huge boost to sales productivity and revenue.
(Source: www.weberassoc.com/data/files/TelecommunicationsPortal3.pdf).
A good sales process should be revamped to include uniform product information and the best resources available for salespeople. There should also be effective product samples at the disposal of sales force for demonstrations.
Customer Focused not Vendor Focused
Sales process guru Michael Bosworth firmly believes that sales processes should be customer focused. They should address the need of the customer. Vendor focused processes cause confusion and delays. The customer is always interested in and tuned into radio station WIIFM, "what's in it for me"? A sales process should be modified to communicate that.
Spending Time with the Prospects - Does a prospect qualify for your time and attention? If yes, how much? Genuine prospects should be paid attention to and it is wise not to waste too much time on prospects that won't buy. Distinguishing between the two categories is a fine balancing act that every salesperson in the organization must know. Research has shown that the best salespersons spend considerably more quality time with their top prospects.
They also spend less time on paper work. A survey conducted by Watson Wyatt of 841 salespeople from 500 companies with large sales forces has established that the best sales professionals from financially high performing companies working for high incentives and stock options invest 40% more time on their best prospects and spend an additional 3-4 hours on high-value sales activities than their counterparts do in financially low performing companies. These achievers also analyze the needs of the prospects in detail and allot more time to prospects that they know.
If a good sales rep is producing satisfying results but taking an inordinately long time to do so he could be the victim of this - getting hypnotized by posh offices of potential customers and spending more time than necessary there. Some of the high-profile potential customers may actually be looking for very competitive prices for low volume of purchase. They may be valuable as customers but are the long hours and special attention lavished on them worth it? An effective sales process should weed out such time consuming practices. It can lay out a broad time range to be allotted to different categories of customers.
Too Close to a Good Closing Yet Missing Out - Do you have sales reps that get very close to a fruitful closing but don't succeed in clinching the deal? They do everything right to get there, but miss the target by a whisker. There are uncountable numbers of sales efforts that have come very close to a successful deal and failed at the last minute. The reason - lack of knowledge of proper closing techniques. A solid sales process lays down the best closing practices to be followed. Be aware if your salespeople are asking the right questions or offering the right incentives to close a deal? Are they practicing active listening techniques and allowing the customer to talk? Are they allowing the customer to say "yes" to a deal? Are they keeping some offers until the end as final incentives to strike a deal?
An effective sales process makes it clear to all sales reps to use the best closing techniques.
Repeat Business - Referrals - Signing a deal is not the end of the sales plan, it's just the beginning. There are more deals in the offing and a good sales process recognizes that. Repeat business is easier and cheaper than prospecting for new business and every sales process should include steps to procure repeat business via a referral process. After a sale has been made the sales rep should follow up with the customer about the performance of the product and the degree of satisfaction of the customer. If the customer is happy with the product than it can lead to repeat sales or sales through his network of contacts. A sales process gives this fact due consideration and mandates that sales reps don't wash their hands of a customer after the sale is made.
Practical Sales Process - Take an honest opinion poll of your sales reps and find out what they feel about the company's sales process. If the majority of them feel that it's - "Too theoretical", "It worked back in 2001", "Management's fantasy", or "Cast in computerized concrete" - it's time for you to consider overhauling or changing the entire sales process.
Sometimes a problem may lie with a single step and may need slight modification. Evaluate periodically how your sales process is performing. Watch out for weak areas and fortify them. A sales audit can help in identifying problem areas that require attention.
It is less of an art and more a scientific formula that the combination of a smart sales process and efficient salespeople almost always produce astounding results. Companies therefore should have a vibrant and workable sales process in place to aid their sales force in achieving their sales targets smoothly.
About the Author
Doug Dvorak helps companies and professionals achieve results through customized, creative and non-traditional sales training systems that are “one size fits one” and developed to the unique business needs and “sales pain points” of each client.
He is available to speak on these topics.

For more information visit http://www.salescoach.us or call 847-359-6969

Permission is granted to reprint this article in print or on your web site as long as the paragraph above is included and contact information is provided

Copyright 2008 The Sales Coaching Institute, Inc.Sales Skills Training l Strategic Sales Coaching Chicago, IL l 847-359-6969 l doug@dougdvorak.comhttp://www.salescoach.us