Sales & Marketing Answermen: Recent Episodes
Bill Brelsford & Dan Stalp
Bill Brelsford and Dan Stalp answer your sales and marketing questions. They also interview business owners, sales professionals, and marketers to bring you the latest news of "what's working now" in sales and marketing.
Dan and Bill visit with Rick Allen of Informed Athlete.com to discuss how to turn inbound phone calls and emails into paid consultations.
We also talk about setting expectations, helping vs. supporting, and how to use up-front contracts.
Informed Athlete helps student athletes and their parents make sense out of the complex NCAA, NAIA, and JUCCO rules:
Some of the common questions Rick helps with include:
- Questions about academic eligibility for a transferring athlete to be eligible at their next college
- Questions from families of high school athletes about eligibility requirements or scholarship offers, and
- College athletes asking about waivers or appeals for medical hardship situations or appeals for immediate eligibility.
Resources mentioned during the show
Special Offer - Rick was nice enough to offer a special discount to any student athlete and/or parents of athletes who listen to this show. Just mentioned that you hear him on our show to receive a discount on your consultation.
Rick's Contact Info:
Phone - 913.766.1235
Email - rick@informedathlete.com
Website - http://informedathlete.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Informed-Athlete-101872665681/
Twitter - @InformedAthlete
The one where we talk about success - how you define success, how you know when you are being successful.
The one where we continue our conversation with Dick Paschall and Shane Kinsch of Converg Media. We continue to learn more about their business and discuss:
- Pre-roll marketing and selling on YouTube
- Achieving high organic search rankings for clients
- How to solicit business away from a competitor without having to throw the competition under the bus
The one where we sit down with Dick Paschall and Shane Kinsch of Converg Media. They’ll explain the Converg competitive advantage using generic domains to drive traffic to your website. Plus you’ll find out what you should be on the lookout for the next time someone claims they can send your SEO through the roof overnight.
The one where Dan turns the tables and interviews Bill about his journey from being a CPA, to a software developer, to a marketing consultant.
The one where Bill interviews Dan and learns about Dan's journey from his early days as a computer programmer to his dream job of being a sales trainer.
The one where we talk about Geo-Targeting. We also discuss:
- The results of Bill’s recent marketing survey
- Using surveys to find out what your prospects and customers want
- Managing your email database
- How email “opens” are measured and how email open reports can be deceptive.
- Discount on Dan’s upcoming – Sales Training Boot Camp
The one where we talk about sales playbook and sales scripts – whether you should ditch them or just modify them for the modern selling environment. We also discuss:
- How to handle a prospect with multiple points
- How to get your prospects executive assistant to help, rather than hinder your sale
- FireFox changing it’s default search engine to Yahoo and what it means for small business owners
- Discount on Dan’s upcoming training seminar – Negotiating With the Savvy Buyer
- Bill’s free training webinar – “How To Find Out What People Really Want To Buy“
The one where we talk about how to streamline scheduling your next sales appointment. We also talk about email marketing techniques and how to minimize “unsubscribes” to your email marketing list.
Part Two of our interview with Brandy McCombs, founder and president of International Builders and Consultants. IBC has worked on several interesting Kansas City projects including work at Childrens Mercy Hospital, Country Club Bank, Hollywood casino and Kansas City’s LEGOLAND ans Sea Life Aquarium at Crown Center.
In this episode, Dan and Bill field Brandy’s questions about taking the next steps towards growing her business and branching out as a general contractor.
If you missed part 1 of our visit with Brandy, you can listen to it here.
The one where we visit with Brandy McCombs, founder and president of International Builders and Consultants. IBC has worked on several interesting Kansas City projects including work at Childrens Mercy Hospital, Country Club Bank, Hollywood casino and Kansas City’s LEGOLAND ans Sea Life Aquarium at Crown Center.
The one where we talk about How to Negotiate with a Player. We also discuss the resurgence (and importance) of marketing calendars along with some ideas for staying in touch when prospects are in the middle of the funnel – that time when they know about you, but they’re not ready to have a conversation yet.
The one where we talk about how to manage your sales staff – both new and experienced.
We also discuss:
- New ways to sell on Twitter
- When marketing should hand off a new prospect to the sales department.
- Accountability vs. Control (see special offers)
- Building a LinkedIn Action Plan (see special offers)
The one where we talk about Marketing Qualified Leads (MQL) vs. Sales Qualified Leads (SQL).
We also discuss:
1. Tips for handling the Request for Proposal (RFP) process
2. How to get prospects to call you back
3. The use of video in small business marketing
4. Accountability vs. Control (see special offers)
5. Building a LinkedIn Action Plan (see special offers)
The one where we talk about Lead Scoring and what companies can do while waiting to receive their patent. We also discuss:
- How Facebook provides more control over what you see in your news feed
- Identities vs Roles
- Building a LinkedIn Action Plan (see special offers)
- Accountability vs. Control (see special offers)
The one where we talk about how become a Trusted Advisor.
Other topics discussed include:
-How to use stories in your marketing and sales efforts
-The new LinkedIn Data Export Tool
The one where we talk about whether Salespeople are born or made. Other topics discussed include:
- How to recycle your advertising budget
- The Twitter Small Business Planner mobile app
- How to reconnect with prospects who don’t call you back
The one where we continue our conversation with Marty Stanley, President of Dynamic Dialog, Inc., author and professional speaker. Marty is a frequent keynote and conference presenter for professional and trade associations and is certified as both a life and business coach. She is seeking advice on how to broaden her reach outside the Kansas City market.
The one where we talked with author, speaker, facilitator and executive coach Marty Stanley. Marty explains how she uses her entrepreneurial, traditional business, and international business experiences to help leaders plan, implement and communicate organizational changes that are aligned with strategic objectives.
The one where we talk about retargeting, also known as remarketing. We also talk about the right way and wrong way for sales supervisors to conduct ride alongs.
The one where we talk about How to get your cold call prospects to call you back. Some of the other topics we cover in this episode include:
- behavioral marketing – what is it and how is it used
- eliminating negative self talk
- new apps available to make your job easier
The one where we talked about tracking visitors to your website, testing and optimizing your messages, and using virtual assistants to stay on track and productive.
The one where we talk about listening” on social media and how you can keep tabs on your competitors, customers, prospects, and even what people are saying about you.
The one where we continue our conversation with Jeff Hagen, President of Grafton Staffing Companies, and talk about some ideas for getting his company’s message out to both business owners and prospective employees in various fields of expertise, including science and engineering.
The one where we visit with Jeff Hagen, President at Grafton, Inc., and talk about sales and marketing in the staffing industry. Grafton is doing some great things bring together employers, employees, and community colleges – listen to the recording to learn more.
The one where we talk about overcoming sales call reluctance. We also discuss
- Facebook “dark posts” and how they’re being used by advertisers.
- Google wants to make the internet world safer for all of us and it will start using SSL as a ranking factor.
The one where we continue our conversation with Terry Garberg, President and Owner of Bark to Basics (http://www.barktobasics.com), Midwest distributors of healthy raw pet foods and treats. We continue to learn about all of the pets that eat better than Bill. We also discuss ideas for getting more out of trade shows and issues related to growing a sales staff.
The one where where we chat with Terry Garberg, President and Owner of Bark to Basics and learn all about selling and marketing healthy raw pet foods. Terry has one of those great stories of someone who has turned their passion into a business that helps others.
Part 2 of our interview with Joe Polo of Original Juan’s Specialty Foods, where we learn more about the specialty foods business and talk about ways to get more out of your trade show dollar.
The one where we meet the man who may have brought some “pain” into your life – Joe Polo.
Joe is the CEO and President of Original Juan’s Specialty Foods and has a great story of how he built his Kansas City based business.
Tune in and find out if that bottle of “100% Pain” sauce that has been in Dan’s office for several years is still fit for consumption.
The one where we talk about “Finding the Right Recipe for Sales Success.”.
Also discussed on this episode:
- Determining why your sales cookbook is falling short.
- Do you have the “right recipe” to produce results?
- Bridges of reliance and why you might want to burn them
- New apps to simplify your scheduling and nightmare “to do” lists
The one where we talk about Tracking your Twitter Analytics. Other topics we discussed in this episode include:
- Guarding your website from WordPress Hackers
- Setting attainable goals for new a new sales employees
The one where we talk about the power of mastermind groups, the different types of groups, and how to start your own. We also discussed using metrics to track and improve your sales and marketing activities.
The one where we have a great conversation with the folks from Perry Puccetti and Mary (Noulles) Sloss of Triple-I about the relationship between company culture, marketing, and sales.
The one where we talk keeping your sales team members accountable. We also discuss:
- Realistic expectations of CRM software available
- New marketing changes coming to LinkedIn
The one where we talk about partnering with charities. Other topics in this episode include:
- Learning how to use the tools available to you through the latest technology to customize your sales pitch.
- Staying in touch with your clients…you don’t want to wear out your welcome.
- Using webinars in your sales presentations
Got a question you’d like us to answer? Send it to use here.
The one where we talk about Stopping Sales Distractions Before They Happen.
We also cover
- the importance of getting clarification from prospects
- how technology may help you attend your next trade show without ever leaving your office
The one where we talk about
- Companies who make non-deliverable SEO promises – When is it time to run the other direction
- What is a “buying persona” and why would you want one
- Google’s stance regarding “Thin Content” thought to be unfair to small businesses may be changing
- Never answer an unasked question – “a flinch is not a question”
The one where special guest Joe Bodine, CEO and Owner of ABMI, joins Dan and Bill to discuss better ways to reach your customers who may not embrace today’s digital methods of sales and marketing.
We also share ways to discover who your ideal customer is AND the best way to reach him.
The one where we talk about:
- Marketing Automation Tools: How they can save you time and effort
- Claiming your online real estate: More is not always better
- Peeling the onion: How to get through multiple layers to reach the decision maker on a sale.
The one where we answer questions related to:
- Mastering your 10 second commercial versus sharing TMI
- breaking through your writers block on your blogs
- suggestions on how to use your CRM software more effectively.
The one where we discuss:
- Using Google Helpouts
- Keeping the energy positive with your sales staff
- Long vs Short sales cycles
The one where we discuss how to help your buyer make a decision and the best way to do ride-alongs with your sales team
The one where we discuss new ways to harness the power of social medial and reach your customers through different types of social media advertising.
We also will share specific ways to pin point your target market
The one where we discuss Value Propositions – what makes a compelling one, how to create your own, and how to use your value proposition to win more sales.
We also discuss Native Advertising, how it’s different from Pay-per-Click advertising, and why it works.
The one where we talk about how to find available sources for leads and what competencies you need to have before jumping into a sales management position.
The one where we talk about methods for tracking your leads and how to know when it's time to fire a customer.
The one where we talk about working with independent sales reps, and who your next hire should be once your company starts taking off.
The one where we talk about getting past the gate keeper, avoiding the dreaded “dial tone” at the end of your sales pitch, email etiquette (when is it time to just pick up the phone?), and your Centers of Influence and how to use them effectively.
The one where we talk about the role of social media in sales and marketing, tips for using LinkedIn, and nurturing leads until they are ready to buy.