How NOT to leave a message

Posted by Jeremy L. Knauff | November 25th, 2009

Whether you are calling someone to sell something, buy something or just get some information, and you have to leave a message, make sure you leave more than just your name and number. It may seem like common sense, but you would be surprised how many people do that.

When I hear a message like this: “John Smith, 505-958-5361″ (I received a message exactly like this yesterday), I think the person is either trying to trick me into calling them back so they can try to sell me something, or they’re interested in our services, but aren’t very committed or serious since they aren’t willing to put forth any effort. Either way, my experience has shown me that it’s rarely worthwhile to return those type of messages.

You’ll never convince everyone!

Posted by Jeremy L. Knauff | October 27th, 2009

At least once each week, I talk to someone who tells me that their company produces something that everyone needs. Men, women, young, old, it doesn’t matter, everyone in the world is their ideal customer.

The thing is, they are wrong. There is no one thing that everyone needs.

Worse than being wrong, they are setting themselves up for failure. By convincing themselves that everyone needs what they’re offering, they end up burning out because it takes significantly more effort to convert their prospects into customers. It can be tempting to look at larger segments of the population as your target market, but it all comes down to one thing; conversions. Would you rather spend your time trying to convince 1,000 people who are slightly interested in what you have and converting 50 of them, or trying to convince 100 people who are…

Which prospects are wasting your time?

Posted by Jeremy L. Knauff | October 12th, 2009

Every single entrepreneur has found themselves in the position of sales person at some time during their career. Some of us relish the challenges that brings while others detest the very thought of having to face rejection and actually try to sell our product or service.

In my own unscientific opinion, I would be willing to bet that most people are nearly as adverse to making a sales call, whether in person or on the phone, as they are terrified of public speaking. But what are they really afraid of? Rejection? Failure? Wasting their time?

Well, let’s face the facts; you’re going to experience rejection. Not everyone needs, wants or can afford what you’re selling. Sales is partially a numbers game, so the more people you get in front of, the more opportunities you’ll have to sell your product or service.…

Take a minute to follow up

Posted by Jeremy L. Knauff | August 11th, 2009

As Seth points out most people don’t. Why not stand out by taking a minute or two to follow up with your prospects and clients? The little effort that it takes will have a dramatic affect on your revenue while giving your business a better reputation.

What do you do? How to develop your elevator pitch in 4 steps

Posted by Jeremy L. Knauff | August 10th, 2009

Do you want people to remember meeting you? Of course you do. More than that, I’ll bet you want them to remember what you do so that if and when they need your services, you’re the first one they call.

At some point in time, we’re all asked what we do, and more often than not, our answer, also known as your elevator pitch, is not nearly as effective as it could be. Many of us either over-simplify or over complicate our answer and leave the person asking it bored or confused. See if you recognize (and if you’re guilty of) one of these examples:

Example question: So, Dave, what do you guys do?

Example answer #1: We’re a financial planning firm.
Example answer #2: We build assets for our clients by investing in high yield derivatives hedged against municipal bonds to…