Planning4Profit

If you’re searching for innovative ideas to help grow your business, you’re in the right place! The Planning4Profit training and education series focuses on getting more prospects, understanding solution-based selling, and improving negotiating skills.

Opportunity Qualification: Session 6

by Scott Anschuetz May 10, 2011 Business

The biggest mistake that both junior and senior sales people continue to make is investing their time and company’s resources in prospects that are never going to buy. Typically, prospect qualification has focused on answering the question can they buy.  This usually relates to identifying who has the power to make the buying decision and [...]

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Experience Counts in Negotiation: Session 8

by Bill Garcia April 28, 2011 Business
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In life we tend to drag our past into our future. For example, I know if I forget to take the garbage out, my wife will remind me to – sometimes at the most inopportune moments – such as just as I’m getting into bed. This is sometimes called a “learning event”. Unfortunately these “learning [...]

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Choose Your Future Customers – Build a Quality Target List: Session 7

by Mark Frasco April 26, 2011 Business
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It’s that time… time to select your future customers. Tradeshows, search engine optimization, word-of-mouth; all are useful, but all are indirect. You make the investment; you’re in all the right places – then you wait, hoping the next big customer finds you. Lacking a strategic, direct approach to growing your business, you are destined to [...]

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The Power of Saying No in Negotiation: Session 7

by Bill Garcia March 7, 2011 Business
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“NO” is a very powerful word in any negotiation. All by itself, saying just the word NO to a request or demand from other side seems to leave little doubt as to their intentions. As a sole response, NO feels like the end of the negotiation to most people. However, how do children respond when [...]

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Your Brand is Not Your Logo: Session 6

by Mark Frasco February 22, 2011 Business
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One of the biggest misconceptions in business today is that your brand is your logo. Your logo can help you communicate or advance your brand, but it is not your brand. Your brand manifests itself in the buyer’s mind through a series of impressions that are created by interacting with your organization – people, processes, [...]

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The Strength of the Buyer in Negotiation: Session 6

by Bill Garcia February 14, 2011 Business
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Buyers (or the customer) normally deploy two primary approaches to get a better deal from their suppliers. The first is added volume – “can I get a better price if I also buy some of these?” The idea is that the seller is motivated to increase revenue in exchange for a little less profit. It [...]

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Building a High Performance Sales Team: Session 5

by Scott Anschuetz February 7, 2011 Business
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Every sales manager’s dream is to build or manage a team of highly productive sales professionals. But what exactly are the critical skills and traits of a top sales executive? High personal energy and strong work ethic An understanding of client issues and needs, and how to proactively develop relationships to address those needs Ability [...]

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Raise the Bar In Your Negotiations: Session 5

by Bill Garcia January 18, 2011 Business
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Throughout our lives we’re bombarded with these little sayings. Go for the Gold; Shoot for the Moon; Be the Best You Can Be; …. If I put myself in my son’s shoes (he’s eight), I’m sure he wonders, “What does that mean? How do I ‘Shoot for the Moon’? How do I ‘Grab the Brass [...]

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Identify Your Value Proposition: Session 5

by Mark Frasco January 4, 2011 Business
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If you were to talk to your customers about what THEY value about YOUR organization, what would they say? Even further, if you were to ask them what the tangible difference is or the implication to their business was as a result of your delivering that value, what would they say? The answers to these [...]

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Gaining Executive Access When Selling: Session 4

by Scott Anschuetz December 15, 2010 Business
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Call higher, it’s what we are told over and over. Is that really a news flash for anyone reading this blog? The joke is: we don’t get ideas on how to call higher or what to do to make this a possibility. So here is my idea – try throwing away a letter and then [...]

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