Sales & Marketing Strategy Chapter Six: How to Win a Price War

by Business Management Series on February 17, 2012 · 0 comments

in Business,Business Management Series,Management,Marketing,Sales

Price war challenges

The unfortunate thing about price wars is that usually no one wins. The integrity of the true value-add offerings of your business can be compromised. Price war conditions exist when there is no discernible difference between competitors. As a result, the customer is forced to consider the only factor in which they can see a difference… price.

Defining a strategy

To solve the price war challenge, you must differentiate your company and it’s offerings from those of your competitors. What really sets you apart from your competitors? How do you define the true essence of your business value to your customers? Differentiating the value of your company’s offerings from those of your competitors is essential. Whether it’s your vast experience and cutting-edge services or your outstanding product, effective marketing is simply demonstrating how your unique qualities make you the best choice for your customer.

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Sales & Marketing Strategy Chapter Five: Partnering vs. Selling

by Business Management Series on February 10, 2012 · 0 comments

in Business,Business Management Series,Management,Marketing,Sales

One of the tempting habits of a new organization is to form “handshake alliances” with as many non-competing organizations as they can find; specifically those organizations that have a complimenting product or service. While it is important to form alliances and partnerships, these agreements should be solid and chosen carefully. A partnership exists for one reason; a mutual benefit between two parties, with a synergistic need for the two parties to be united. Partnering in hopes of a referral (as mentioned before) can be hazardous to your organization’s health. A good partnership comes from an established relationship, not a staged one based on opportunity.

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Sales & Marketing Strategy Chapter Four: Developing a Sales Pipeline

by Business Management Series February 2, 2012 Business

1-3-6-12 Month Forecasting vs. Actual Until you establish a clear sales history, your sales forecasts will be your best guess estimate (culminating the data you collected through market research). This best guess estimate should be used to refine your goals. Developing goals are important. Although the first few years of your business’ life will be [...]

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ScanSource welcomes new vendors to our 2012 Healthcare VAR Source program!

by Nathan Lord January 30, 2012 Healthcare

ScanSource has had its Healthcare VAR Source program in place for more than 2 years. The program is dedicated to the healthcare vertical and how it relates to our vendors and reseller partners. Participation and support from our vendors has been key to the success of the program, and we’re thrilled that we have added [...]

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Sales & Marketing Strategy Chapter Three: Understanding The Sales Cycle – Part 3

by Business Management Series January 27, 2012 Business

Every organization’s sales cycle will be different to some degree. This is due to the nature of the products or services that are sold. For instance, the sales cycle for reselling components (which is typically a turn-around sale) is usually dramatically different then a server sale (which typically has a longer sales cycle). It is [...]

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What do you consider to be some of your best management practices?

by Mark Olson January 26, 2012 Business

What do YOU do, that separates your leadership style, or your company, from your competitors? I enjoyed reading what Herb Kelleher, retired CEO of Southwest airlines, did during his leadership tenure to separate his company from other airlines. Kelleher shared a lot of interesting ideas that I found valuable. Here are some things that I’ve [...]

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Sales & Marketing Strategy Chapter Three: Understanding The Sales Cycle – Part 2

by Business Management Series January 20, 2012 Business

Every organization’s sales cycle will be different to some degree. This is due to the nature of the products or services that are sold. For instance, the sales cycle for reselling components (which is typically a turn-around sale) is usually dramatically different then a server sale (which typically has a longer sales cycle). It is [...]

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Sales & Marketing Strategy Chapter Three: Understanding The Sales Cycle – Part 1

by Business Management Series January 13, 2012 Business

Every organization’s sales cycle will be different to some degree. This is due to the nature of the products or services that are sold. For instance, the sales cycle for reselling components (which is typically a turn-around sale) is usually dramatically different then a server sale (which typically has a longer sales cycle). It is [...]

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Sales & Marketing Strategy Chapter Two: Building a Sales Team

by Business Management Series January 6, 2012 Business

Your organization will fail without a solid sales team (even if that means that you are the sales team). Your sales team is the front line for advocating your company and establishing relationships with both your customers and your prospects. The development of a solid sales team is essential for your growth and survival. Defining [...]

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Cloud Basics – Part 3: Three Service Models

by Greg Dixon January 5, 2012 Catalyst Telecom
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Cloud computing is really not such a new thing. I got out of college in 1977 with a degree in Electronics and a 7% loan for my four years of tuition. I didn’t have a clue how to make a living at this, so I went to Radio Shack and asked for a minimum wage [...]

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