Ten Ways to Handle Sales Objections
Posted by Unknown in Ten Ways to Handle Sales Objections on Monday, September 24, 2012
1. Always try and ANTICIPATE objections in your presentation and COUNTER-OBJECT before the prospect gets the chance to use them. Too many sales people wait until objections come along. This makes more hard work that is often not necessary with efficient script planning.
2. Never rush your response to an objection. STOP and REFLECT. Show the customer you are listening! Sales people often respond too quickly in these situations. This will often create friction with the client which could also be avoided.
3. Repeat the objection back to the customer. This will buy you time and it will also show that you are interested in what they have to say. It's a good idea to say the same thing but with slightly different wording. It just sounds a bit more natural and less construed.
4. Remember that objections are often a "BUYING SIGNAL" because the customer is questioning your offer. If they had no interest, why would they still be talking to you? Watch out for an objection that is followed by another question! This is another sign that the customer is interested even though their "tone" may not make it that obvious.
5. Ask the customer if they are interested if you think that their objection is just a SMOKESCREEN. Smokescreen objections can be a real time waster for sales people and unfortunately even the more seasoned professionals can fall into this trap. Some clients can feel overpowered by a confident sales person and there only escape is to create a "false objection" A simple way to eradicate this type of problem is by further probing in order to make sure that the objection is genuine.
6. Remember that statistically speaking 3 OBJECTIONS are needed before a person will buy. How many sales people give up after the first or second objection without realizing that this person would have bought if they had persisted a little more? This can be particularly the case when a sales person is experiencing a "Bad Patch"
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7. Objections are part and parcel of the Sales Process. Don't let them stop you from reaching your goals. Yes it's true that objections can be a form of unwelcome distraction but the true professional doesn't let them ever get in the way of end goals.
8. LISTEN carefully to objections. They often hold valuable clues about the client's needs and PAIN. An objection can often reveal important information that is often worth noting because even if the customer doesn't buy on this occasion you may know what buttons to press the next time you speak to them.
9. The better you explain your offer, the less objections you will hear! It's important to articulate your presentation in a way that the prospect clearly understands what you're on about. This will help to avoid objections that arise from not clearly understanding what you have said.
10. Wouldn't selling be boring if people never objected? This may appear strange at first but I actually think some customers enjoy the "bartering element" of buying and sales people should be fully aware of this. In my career I've often been congratulated for my persistence. I sometimes imagined that the client hated me by the time we were closing the deal. The reality was often very different in that they actually complimented my stamina and will to overcome all the obstacles that stood in the way.
This article was written by Sales Expert and Sales Course Creator David Lynch who has written many books such as "Making The Seller" and "39 Mistakes to Avoid in Sales" He offers lots of valuable FREE sales tips on his website www.blikfanget.blogspot.com
2. Never rush your response to an objection. STOP and REFLECT. Show the customer you are listening! Sales people often respond too quickly in these situations. This will often create friction with the client which could also be avoided.
3. Repeat the objection back to the customer. This will buy you time and it will also show that you are interested in what they have to say. It's a good idea to say the same thing but with slightly different wording. It just sounds a bit more natural and less construed.
4. Remember that objections are often a "BUYING SIGNAL" because the customer is questioning your offer. If they had no interest, why would they still be talking to you? Watch out for an objection that is followed by another question! This is another sign that the customer is interested even though their "tone" may not make it that obvious.
5. Ask the customer if they are interested if you think that their objection is just a SMOKESCREEN. Smokescreen objections can be a real time waster for sales people and unfortunately even the more seasoned professionals can fall into this trap. Some clients can feel overpowered by a confident sales person and there only escape is to create a "false objection" A simple way to eradicate this type of problem is by further probing in order to make sure that the objection is genuine.
6. Remember that statistically speaking 3 OBJECTIONS are needed before a person will buy. How many sales people give up after the first or second objection without realizing that this person would have bought if they had persisted a little more? This can be particularly the case when a sales person is experiencing a "Bad Patch"
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7. Objections are part and parcel of the Sales Process. Don't let them stop you from reaching your goals. Yes it's true that objections can be a form of unwelcome distraction but the true professional doesn't let them ever get in the way of end goals.
8. LISTEN carefully to objections. They often hold valuable clues about the client's needs and PAIN. An objection can often reveal important information that is often worth noting because even if the customer doesn't buy on this occasion you may know what buttons to press the next time you speak to them.
9. The better you explain your offer, the less objections you will hear! It's important to articulate your presentation in a way that the prospect clearly understands what you're on about. This will help to avoid objections that arise from not clearly understanding what you have said.
10. Wouldn't selling be boring if people never objected? This may appear strange at first but I actually think some customers enjoy the "bartering element" of buying and sales people should be fully aware of this. In my career I've often been congratulated for my persistence. I sometimes imagined that the client hated me by the time we were closing the deal. The reality was often very different in that they actually complimented my stamina and will to overcome all the obstacles that stood in the way.
This article was written by Sales Expert and Sales Course Creator David Lynch who has written many books such as "Making The Seller" and "39 Mistakes to Avoid in Sales" He offers lots of valuable FREE sales tips on his website www.blikfanget.blogspot.com
Dental Marketing
Posted by Unknown in Dental Marketing on Thursday, September 20, 2012
Everyone wants a solution that sets sail successfully the first time. Most dentists have just skirted around the edges of marketing. Actually that is what most businesses do. Unfortunately, at some point the winds change and luck, location (cubed), and trial and error are no longer on their side. A strong, consistent, proactive communication strategy is the only way to sail on these rough seas.
Here are seven dental marketing strategies that will completely unfurl your sales!
1) Right Your Dental Website
Most dental websites are listing in a generic Internet sea. Lots of dental services are written about but little or no real human warmth can be found in this frigid North Sea of uninspired content.
Write, write, and write to right your website. With all the sites out there now, you need to say dentistry with real people in mind. Your dental web site content should be worth knowing about rather than just floating out there like a buoy without a real-life perspective mooring.
2) Sales Faster With Dental Direct Mail
Communicating effectively often requires someone to take the lead. Direct mail gets out in front faster than almost anything you can do. Dental practices that want more than galley leftovers need to mutiny against generic marketing and take the fight for hearts and minds to the home front and mailbox.
Nothing else is as local, as targeted or as proactive. Rather than waiting for consumers like all other marketing it goes right to the head of household and says, “Look at me, why wait, you need it now!” You need to say it the right way and with an eye on building value. But you can use dental postcards; a brochure-mailer or whatever works best for your dentistry brand. Direct mail puts significant wind in the sales of your Internet strategy as well.
3) Gain Supremacy of The Online Seas for Your Dental Practice
Web surfers are searching for exactly what you offer. Whether its dental implants or porcelain veneers, smile makeovers or advanced cosmetic dentistry, you can be the one with the phone calls, new patients, and revenue booty. Even in dangerous economic waters, it is possible to sale well.
This is not brute force online advertising. It’s a niche strategy for the dental practice that wants patients who are ready to buy what they offer. No longer haggle about price. Say heave ho to the dental insurance anchor. Start steering your online strategy toward your higher-lever services and the consumers who will pay for them in a good and not so good economy.
4) Define Your Dental Niche Rather Than Being A Dentistry Parrot
If you say the same things every other dentist is saying, you will be like a parrot on a creativity lacking, dental marketing pirate shoulder that’s squawking and hawking the same thing. Instead, say less about dental services and focus more on your dental expertise.
Consumers will never see the value in your expertise if you hoist the same flag (grocery list of dental services) your competition does.
5) Real Dental Branding Halts The Plank Walk To Irrelevance
First, dental logos are not brands. They are brand elements. Completely transform your brand like you want your patients to transform their smiles. Otherwise Davy Jones’ Locker is ready to swallow your sales numbers.
You no longer work on teeth. Currently, consumers see teeth in your brand when price, low value, and dental insurance are still magnets in their compass. With effective brand development, the consumer will know you see THEM. Then the focus is not on their teeth, which have less value to them. They are not their teeth, their mouths or even their smiles.
Create a brand around your dentistry expertise and the value you offer PEOPLE. Tooth and toothbrush logos, half off whitening coupons and the like are grounds for plank walking in this tight market. Quit degrading your value. Branding prevents dental expertise irrelevance.
6) Be Unique To Avoid Being Set Adrift in a Dentist Without Differentiation Dinghy
The market has gotten crowded with “we do dental care like that too” competitors. Sameness will sink almost every communication ship you set sail in with the today’s hyper-competition for the consumer’s money.
Dental insurance reliance takes more profits out with the tide. The low price dentistry sales method is taking on water like mad because it has nowhere to go but down. Taking your dental practice into unique waters is often a calmer experience. The waters are clear, making it easier for consumers to see you, evaluate your value, and start appreciating the worth of your dental expertise.
7) Guide Your Marketing Efficiently With A Sturdy Dental Coaching Rudder
Why get a dental marketing coach? Actually you can do it all yourself. Like I could voyage into megapascal math and meth mouth makeovers, you could set sail on a masters (and commander) graduate course in dental marketing. Or we can each do what we do best, and I can help you sail to your port of call a whole knot quicker.
Running your dental practice aground is easy to do if the winds change. Get command of a seaworthy craft with an expertly righted, communication strategy. Of course, it’s always your choice whether you go with an expert or not. Likewise, the consumer has many choices. You need Niche Dental coaching services to give you the helm during dental consults.
Niche Dental helps consumers see YOUR expertise as valid and valuable before they arrive, releasing the knot of objections in case acceptance. Otherwise consumers will continue to open the rum barrel of low value, minimal results, and never-pay-out-of-pocket dentistry.
Either take this route or invest in my new book and we can make money on these wading-in-low-waters consumers. It will be sold on the All-Generic Dentistry, All The Time cable channel and DentalOverStockOverBoard.com. The book, Dental Care for Rummies, makes consumers feel good about low priced, insurance covered, fast-paced, and simplistic solutions dentistry.
CONCLUSION: Sailing Your Dental Practice Through a Downturn
Wanting a simple solution to your dental marketing dilemma is a natural expectation. But if you think about how the consumer often reacts to anything without a dental insurance life raft, the simple expectation sinks quickly. While there are some “simple” solutions in dentistry and marketing, they often cost more, require more time, or need an expert touch.
Paying for dental coaching, spending more for the right marketing, and developing a long term plan makes sense, even now. In an economic downturn, many consumers actually spin the helm toward a counterintuitive bearing. They start looking for value, wanting more bang for their doubloon. It’s counterintuitive because expensive purchases are not removed from the table. The value treasure chest is still very full for many consumers, especially the 77 million baby boomers who need more dentistry.
Promoting your expertise in higher-level dental treatment will standout. Consumers will notice because everyone else will be retreating to cheap and cheaper marketing waters. Fly the flag of the low priced pirate dental marketer and see your frigate get hit with the cannons of low profit and work your butt off dentistry. Avoid the low value services bottleneck; catch the wind a change in direction provides.
If you are not ready to string me up on the mizzen because of all my sailing references, call me to discuss your dental marketing needs. Then we can get everything shipshape in a matter of few nautical miles.
Here are seven dental marketing strategies that will completely unfurl your sales!
1) Right Your Dental Website
Most dental websites are listing in a generic Internet sea. Lots of dental services are written about but little or no real human warmth can be found in this frigid North Sea of uninspired content.
Write, write, and write to right your website. With all the sites out there now, you need to say dentistry with real people in mind. Your dental web site content should be worth knowing about rather than just floating out there like a buoy without a real-life perspective mooring.
2) Sales Faster With Dental Direct Mail
Communicating effectively often requires someone to take the lead. Direct mail gets out in front faster than almost anything you can do. Dental practices that want more than galley leftovers need to mutiny against generic marketing and take the fight for hearts and minds to the home front and mailbox.
Nothing else is as local, as targeted or as proactive. Rather than waiting for consumers like all other marketing it goes right to the head of household and says, “Look at me, why wait, you need it now!” You need to say it the right way and with an eye on building value. But you can use dental postcards; a brochure-mailer or whatever works best for your dentistry brand. Direct mail puts significant wind in the sales of your Internet strategy as well.
3) Gain Supremacy of The Online Seas for Your Dental Practice
Web surfers are searching for exactly what you offer. Whether its dental implants or porcelain veneers, smile makeovers or advanced cosmetic dentistry, you can be the one with the phone calls, new patients, and revenue booty. Even in dangerous economic waters, it is possible to sale well.
This is not brute force online advertising. It’s a niche strategy for the dental practice that wants patients who are ready to buy what they offer. No longer haggle about price. Say heave ho to the dental insurance anchor. Start steering your online strategy toward your higher-lever services and the consumers who will pay for them in a good and not so good economy.
4) Define Your Dental Niche Rather Than Being A Dentistry Parrot
If you say the same things every other dentist is saying, you will be like a parrot on a creativity lacking, dental marketing pirate shoulder that’s squawking and hawking the same thing. Instead, say less about dental services and focus more on your dental expertise.
Consumers will never see the value in your expertise if you hoist the same flag (grocery list of dental services) your competition does.
5) Real Dental Branding Halts The Plank Walk To Irrelevance
First, dental logos are not brands. They are brand elements. Completely transform your brand like you want your patients to transform their smiles. Otherwise Davy Jones’ Locker is ready to swallow your sales numbers.
You no longer work on teeth. Currently, consumers see teeth in your brand when price, low value, and dental insurance are still magnets in their compass. With effective brand development, the consumer will know you see THEM. Then the focus is not on their teeth, which have less value to them. They are not their teeth, their mouths or even their smiles.
Create a brand around your dentistry expertise and the value you offer PEOPLE. Tooth and toothbrush logos, half off whitening coupons and the like are grounds for plank walking in this tight market. Quit degrading your value. Branding prevents dental expertise irrelevance.
6) Be Unique To Avoid Being Set Adrift in a Dentist Without Differentiation Dinghy
The market has gotten crowded with “we do dental care like that too” competitors. Sameness will sink almost every communication ship you set sail in with the today’s hyper-competition for the consumer’s money.
Dental insurance reliance takes more profits out with the tide. The low price dentistry sales method is taking on water like mad because it has nowhere to go but down. Taking your dental practice into unique waters is often a calmer experience. The waters are clear, making it easier for consumers to see you, evaluate your value, and start appreciating the worth of your dental expertise.
7) Guide Your Marketing Efficiently With A Sturdy Dental Coaching Rudder
Why get a dental marketing coach? Actually you can do it all yourself. Like I could voyage into megapascal math and meth mouth makeovers, you could set sail on a masters (and commander) graduate course in dental marketing. Or we can each do what we do best, and I can help you sail to your port of call a whole knot quicker.
Running your dental practice aground is easy to do if the winds change. Get command of a seaworthy craft with an expertly righted, communication strategy. Of course, it’s always your choice whether you go with an expert or not. Likewise, the consumer has many choices. You need Niche Dental coaching services to give you the helm during dental consults.
Niche Dental helps consumers see YOUR expertise as valid and valuable before they arrive, releasing the knot of objections in case acceptance. Otherwise consumers will continue to open the rum barrel of low value, minimal results, and never-pay-out-of-pocket dentistry.
Either take this route or invest in my new book and we can make money on these wading-in-low-waters consumers. It will be sold on the All-Generic Dentistry, All The Time cable channel and DentalOverStockOverBoard.com. The book, Dental Care for Rummies, makes consumers feel good about low priced, insurance covered, fast-paced, and simplistic solutions dentistry.
CONCLUSION: Sailing Your Dental Practice Through a Downturn
Wanting a simple solution to your dental marketing dilemma is a natural expectation. But if you think about how the consumer often reacts to anything without a dental insurance life raft, the simple expectation sinks quickly. While there are some “simple” solutions in dentistry and marketing, they often cost more, require more time, or need an expert touch.
Paying for dental coaching, spending more for the right marketing, and developing a long term plan makes sense, even now. In an economic downturn, many consumers actually spin the helm toward a counterintuitive bearing. They start looking for value, wanting more bang for their doubloon. It’s counterintuitive because expensive purchases are not removed from the table. The value treasure chest is still very full for many consumers, especially the 77 million baby boomers who need more dentistry.
Promoting your expertise in higher-level dental treatment will standout. Consumers will notice because everyone else will be retreating to cheap and cheaper marketing waters. Fly the flag of the low priced pirate dental marketer and see your frigate get hit with the cannons of low profit and work your butt off dentistry. Avoid the low value services bottleneck; catch the wind a change in direction provides.
If you are not ready to string me up on the mizzen because of all my sailing references, call me to discuss your dental marketing needs. Then we can get everything shipshape in a matter of few nautical miles.
Sulfuric Acid Prices Explode
Posted by Unknown in Sulfuric Acid Prices Explode on Sunday, September 16, 2012
Buyers are reporting a huge jump in sulfuric acid prices in Purchasingdata.com’s monthly survey and say tightening supply and increased demand from domestic and overseas markets is to blame. Sulfuric acid prices in March hit a record high of $329/ton, according to Purchasingdata.com, after trading at $90/ton as recently as October. Buyer Bobbie Fallaw at Devro Castings received a 26% increase from a sulfuric acid supplier this week and says the increase is due to a combination of factors: rising sulfur prices, increasing demand for sulfuric acid from the fertilizer markets, and short supply of sulfuric acid. “Suppliers are telling us that the increase of ethanol plants will further increase the demand for sulfuric acid,” Fallaw says.
In September, Purchasing.com reported that the biofuels boom, particularly the proliferation of ethanol plants, is having a "double effect" on the demand for sulfuric acid, according to Paul Bacon, business director at Rhodia Eco Services, a French sulfuric acid producer. But a more recent story in February in the Ames (Iowa) Tribune says “the pricing of sulfuric acid, a manufacturing commodity used in the production of metals and fertilizer, has soared due in part to the increased additional demand from the manufacture of ethanol fuel.” One sulfuric acid buyer at a biotech firm in the Northeast told Purchasing.com this week both of his chemical distributor partners increased prices for sulfuric acid in the first quarter. He said: “They both claim that producer costs have gone up due to higher production costs. Since I am not a huge user of sulfuric acid and our sulfuric acid prices have been steady for the past 18 months, I did not push back very hard regarding this latest increase. I expect prices to hold for at least the rest of the year.”
Automotive tier one supplier Johnson Controls in January raised lead-acid battery prices by 4% and cited a dramatic jump in sulfuric acid prices as one of the reasons. At least one buyer of sulfuric acid, Frontera Copper in Toronto, says that a strike at a major sulfuric acid supplier has wreaked havoc on its supply and pricing in the first quarter. In a late February update, Frontera said the strike has been ongoing since July and the lack of sulfuric acid supply has impacted its mining capabilities, although the copper firm declined to name the supplier. Key Compton, president of sulfuric producer Southern States Chemical in Savannah, Ga., says increasing sulfur prices are the primary reason for sulfuric acid prices to rise. Compton says sulfuric buyers may be in for a long ride, as sulfur prices look to remain high for the remainder of 2008 and into 2009, pushing sulfuric acid prices up in the U.S. At a certain point, however, U.S. prices may match those internationally, giving buyers the option to source more sulfuric acid overseas and create more competition.
In September, Purchasing.com reported that the biofuels boom, particularly the proliferation of ethanol plants, is having a "double effect" on the demand for sulfuric acid, according to Paul Bacon, business director at Rhodia Eco Services, a French sulfuric acid producer. But a more recent story in February in the Ames (Iowa) Tribune says “the pricing of sulfuric acid, a manufacturing commodity used in the production of metals and fertilizer, has soared due in part to the increased additional demand from the manufacture of ethanol fuel.” One sulfuric acid buyer at a biotech firm in the Northeast told Purchasing.com this week both of his chemical distributor partners increased prices for sulfuric acid in the first quarter. He said: “They both claim that producer costs have gone up due to higher production costs. Since I am not a huge user of sulfuric acid and our sulfuric acid prices have been steady for the past 18 months, I did not push back very hard regarding this latest increase. I expect prices to hold for at least the rest of the year.”
Automotive tier one supplier Johnson Controls in January raised lead-acid battery prices by 4% and cited a dramatic jump in sulfuric acid prices as one of the reasons. At least one buyer of sulfuric acid, Frontera Copper in Toronto, says that a strike at a major sulfuric acid supplier has wreaked havoc on its supply and pricing in the first quarter. In a late February update, Frontera said the strike has been ongoing since July and the lack of sulfuric acid supply has impacted its mining capabilities, although the copper firm declined to name the supplier. Key Compton, president of sulfuric producer Southern States Chemical in Savannah, Ga., says increasing sulfur prices are the primary reason for sulfuric acid prices to rise. Compton says sulfuric buyers may be in for a long ride, as sulfur prices look to remain high for the remainder of 2008 and into 2009, pushing sulfuric acid prices up in the U.S. At a certain point, however, U.S. prices may match those internationally, giving buyers the option to source more sulfuric acid overseas and create more competition.
Writing Your Private Club Membership Marketing Plan
Posted by Unknown in Writing Your Private Club Membership Marketing Plan on Thursday, September 13, 2012
The club industry is has experienced what could be the toughest two years in recent memory. We can't fix the economy, we can't significantly impact the number of golfers coming into the game and we can't change the over-supply of country clubs, golf clubs and semi-private/public golf courses, but we can minimize the negatives and accentuate the positives. To do this you will need a Membership Marketing Plan. These are not the times to be spending tens of thousands on exhaustive, comprehensive, professionally done studies and plans (although there is nothing wrong with that if you can afford it), but there are many things you can do to develop an effective membership marketing tool that will give structure, direction, measurement and a much needed boost to your membership efforts next year. Here are some planning tips:
1. Gather Membership Information - Create a spreadsheet and line up your membership historical data (i.e. numbers of members in each category, dues charged, number new members per year, initiation fee amounts, list the various promotions and drives, numbers of resignations, etc.)
2. Gather Comparative Club Information - Typically, someone among the clubs in your region has done a study and you have participated. If not, then you do one. Create a spreadsheet and plot your club in position to the others.
3. Demographics - You can order a demographic study from Claritas or any one of a number of companies. Determine if there is growth and where. Stay inside of a 20 mile radius. Also, drive around and locate growth pockets where homes are priced in a range that would support membership in a private club.
4. Use 2009 Data - If you have it, use data from a recent survey, guest usage, spending trends, rounds of golf. If you lack data in certain areas, then plan to obtain that data in 2010 for use next year.
5. Don't Overlook the Social, Sports and Dining Membership Opportunities. Selling Golf Memberships is likely to be rough sledding next year, so adding peripheral memberships, even annual memberships might be suitable for your club's bottom line while also adding activity and life to the social part of the club.
6. Save Your Members' Money - Arrange services and activities that save members on their bottom line. Help them rationalize their monthly dues. If you have not ventured into "Parents' Night Out" or "child care," or off-site activities: such as members' bowling league; nature hikes; BYO BBQ's; Factory Outlet shopping trips, etc., perhaps you might think about it. One club in California actually offered enough "Concierge" services on the menu that if a member were to take advantage of half of them, they would break even on their monthly dues. One popular idea was a dry cleaning service: The club negotiated a deep discount on dry cleaning and acted as the pick up and drop off point. Same for weekly on-site car detailing.
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7. Get Member Input - Obtain input from your members, committees and your Board as to what the membership goals should be for the club. You can bet that "Member Retention" and "Reduce the Selling List" will be on most people's minds.
8. Set Appropriate Goals - Nothing will frustrate the club's leadership, management and staff more next year than unrealistic goals. It is going to be a tough year for most clubs in nearly every market area.
9. Develop Action Items - Set between 5 and 10 very specific goals. Write down your methodology, timetable, who will be involved and what you expect the outcome to be. These do not have to be all financial in their nature. Just a few ideas: Introduce yourself to 10 members or family members each week; someone you have not gotten to know yet. Invite them to lunch or to have coffee, just to get to know them. Concentrate on Member Referrals and make it easier than ever for your members to show off their club and to sponsor. Get your Head Professionals (Golf and Tennis) actively involved in membership growth efforts. Develop a new and improved New Member Orientation Program.
10. Plan on Intermittent Polling - Poll Your Members throughout the year on the specific "Action Items" using mini-surveys, web surveys, tabletop surveys, or even walk-around polls to see if your Membership Goals and Action Items are making a difference. Use the information to adjust and to prepare for your 2011 Membership Marketing Plan.
Next year promises to offer significant challenges, however, the club industry has been here many times before. Over the past 20 years in consulting, I have experienced at least three down-cycles. Does anyone remember the "Tax Reform Act of 1986"? General Managers and Membership Directors thought the sky was going to fall right down on the fairways. We are still here and so are those fairways. The saying: "It is what it is" is becoming a mantra. Be realistic with planning and be proactive with the things you can affect. If you need encouragement or assistance, give me a call or shoot me an email.
1. Gather Membership Information - Create a spreadsheet and line up your membership historical data (i.e. numbers of members in each category, dues charged, number new members per year, initiation fee amounts, list the various promotions and drives, numbers of resignations, etc.)
2. Gather Comparative Club Information - Typically, someone among the clubs in your region has done a study and you have participated. If not, then you do one. Create a spreadsheet and plot your club in position to the others.
3. Demographics - You can order a demographic study from Claritas or any one of a number of companies. Determine if there is growth and where. Stay inside of a 20 mile radius. Also, drive around and locate growth pockets where homes are priced in a range that would support membership in a private club.
4. Use 2009 Data - If you have it, use data from a recent survey, guest usage, spending trends, rounds of golf. If you lack data in certain areas, then plan to obtain that data in 2010 for use next year.
5. Don't Overlook the Social, Sports and Dining Membership Opportunities. Selling Golf Memberships is likely to be rough sledding next year, so adding peripheral memberships, even annual memberships might be suitable for your club's bottom line while also adding activity and life to the social part of the club.
6. Save Your Members' Money - Arrange services and activities that save members on their bottom line. Help them rationalize their monthly dues. If you have not ventured into "Parents' Night Out" or "child care," or off-site activities: such as members' bowling league; nature hikes; BYO BBQ's; Factory Outlet shopping trips, etc., perhaps you might think about it. One club in California actually offered enough "Concierge" services on the menu that if a member were to take advantage of half of them, they would break even on their monthly dues. One popular idea was a dry cleaning service: The club negotiated a deep discount on dry cleaning and acted as the pick up and drop off point. Same for weekly on-site car detailing.
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7. Get Member Input - Obtain input from your members, committees and your Board as to what the membership goals should be for the club. You can bet that "Member Retention" and "Reduce the Selling List" will be on most people's minds.
8. Set Appropriate Goals - Nothing will frustrate the club's leadership, management and staff more next year than unrealistic goals. It is going to be a tough year for most clubs in nearly every market area.
9. Develop Action Items - Set between 5 and 10 very specific goals. Write down your methodology, timetable, who will be involved and what you expect the outcome to be. These do not have to be all financial in their nature. Just a few ideas: Introduce yourself to 10 members or family members each week; someone you have not gotten to know yet. Invite them to lunch or to have coffee, just to get to know them. Concentrate on Member Referrals and make it easier than ever for your members to show off their club and to sponsor. Get your Head Professionals (Golf and Tennis) actively involved in membership growth efforts. Develop a new and improved New Member Orientation Program.
10. Plan on Intermittent Polling - Poll Your Members throughout the year on the specific "Action Items" using mini-surveys, web surveys, tabletop surveys, or even walk-around polls to see if your Membership Goals and Action Items are making a difference. Use the information to adjust and to prepare for your 2011 Membership Marketing Plan.
Next year promises to offer significant challenges, however, the club industry has been here many times before. Over the past 20 years in consulting, I have experienced at least three down-cycles. Does anyone remember the "Tax Reform Act of 1986"? General Managers and Membership Directors thought the sky was going to fall right down on the fairways. We are still here and so are those fairways. The saying: "It is what it is" is becoming a mantra. Be realistic with planning and be proactive with the things you can affect. If you need encouragement or assistance, give me a call or shoot me an email.
Need of Sampling and Sampling Methods
Posted by Unknown in Need of Sampling and Sampling Methods on Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Well its time to discuss something about Sampling. But before I think you need to know about "Population". In statistics "Population" is every thing that we wish to study. For example if some manufacturing company wants to find out defects in the boxes (made by their company) for them population is all existing boxes in the warehouse. Boxes may be 100, 1000, 10000 or more depending upon the size of the company. Due to some reasons (discussed below) it is not possible to check all the boxes, so best way to estimate the defects is get sample form the total number of boxes, examine them and based on finding conclude something about whole population. So before doing any sort of analysis sampling is important task need to be done.
We can not examine whole population because of following reasons:
We can not examine whole population because of following reasons:
Well in above example suppose if we have currently 10000 boxes, and each box required approximately 1 minute to examine, that means we need total 10000 minutes to examine all the boxes. Some time it may be possible that once we examine some boxes they can not be used again. For example a ice cream company is interested to find out sugar level in each box. Well practically it is not possible to check sugar level in each box, because once we open it we can not use it again. That means we can not ignore the cost factor in such case. So in case of ice cream if we check each box, that means we have nothing to sell.
There are many other such reasons because of that it is impossible to examine the entire population. So, better way is to choose some sample from the population.
How to select Sample:
Now next question is how to select sample?
Well there are numbers of sampling methods available that can be helpful in different situations. These are:
Random Sampling
Systematic Sampling
Stratified Sampling
Convenience Sampling
Judgment Sampling
Quota Sampling
Snowball Sampling
Cluster (Area) Random Sampling
Multi Stage Sampling
To know more about these sampling methods click here
There are many other such reasons because of that it is impossible to examine the entire population. So, better way is to choose some sample from the population.
How to select Sample:
Now next question is how to select sample?
Well there are numbers of sampling methods available that can be helpful in different situations. These are:
Random Sampling
Systematic Sampling
Stratified Sampling
Convenience Sampling
Judgment Sampling
Quota Sampling
Snowball Sampling
Cluster (Area) Random Sampling
Multi Stage Sampling
To know more about these sampling methods click here
Youtube Marketing Can Make You Money
Posted by Unknown in Youtube Marketing Can Make You Money on Friday, September 7, 2012
Are you interested to make money? Or if you dont have job and wants to have freelancer jobs? What if I tell you that you can not even have such jobs wich will make you, your own boss and you will be running a successful online business in no time using Youtube marketing. Yes it's true that you can earn money from the internet, as there are many markets to choose from. Such as FREE programs, like Google Adsense, Affiliate Marketing and so on. But if you have never done anyting like that then what? No problem, There is step by step information, where any newbies can learn all the geeks of internet to make money having their own jobs and online business with different markets FREE of cost. As a little brief and for your fast start, I tell you about a very famous program, which calls Google Adsense, which shows the ads on your websites and when somebody clicks on that ads, you get paid. You can find more about adsense at its site.
All you need to do is to bring the whole world's internet useres to your website, which in my opinion is immpossible. But as for earning good money from the internet, you needs as much visitors as possible. There are many ways to do so. You can use the Youtube marketing to earn money from Youtube easily. As I will say this is the best medida to explore and to have success for any of your business. its very easy, you just need to make video and have to upload it on youtube. But before making the video and going to upload, you need to know the exact steps, actual methods and the secret tricks which successful video marketers are using to make handsome earnings online. You can do so by just reading a Youtube marketing ebook. Which will guide you through the rest of the program and you will be having your own job and business up and running in no time.
All you need to do is to bring the whole world's internet useres to your website, which in my opinion is immpossible. But as for earning good money from the internet, you needs as much visitors as possible. There are many ways to do so. You can use the Youtube marketing to earn money from Youtube easily. As I will say this is the best medida to explore and to have success for any of your business. its very easy, you just need to make video and have to upload it on youtube. But before making the video and going to upload, you need to know the exact steps, actual methods and the secret tricks which successful video marketers are using to make handsome earnings online. You can do so by just reading a Youtube marketing ebook. Which will guide you through the rest of the program and you will be having your own job and business up and running in no time.
Make Money As A Vegetarian Affiliate
Posted by Unknown in Make Money As A Vegetarian Affiliate on Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Being a vegetarian has become much more than a fad these days. It has become a lifestyle and this is because of a very good reason. People are finding satisfaction and happiness in vegetarian lifestyle.The fact is people are learning everyday about the benefits of a vegetarian diet and are willing to turn to vegetarianism to improve their lives. This is very good opportunity for a person to help people achieve their goal and help them improve their lives. And if you want you can even earn some extra money while helping people. You can become an affiliate for vegetarian products and help people in their quest to start a vegetarian lifestyle. This way you are helping people lead a healthy life by recommending them products that will help them. If they buy the products that you recommend through your website or articles, you get a commission this is known as affiliate marketing. It is a win-win situation for everyone.
If you don't know how to become a vegetarian affiliate, here are some tips that will help you.
1. You can find a lot of products related to vegetarianism that people will be willing to buy. Some of them are cooking books, how to start the vegetarian ebooks and courses , and food products. These are just the tip of the iceberg and if you dig deeper you will find much more.
There are ebooks for dieting using vegetarian foods, there are ebooks and books for vegetarian sauces, cook books for vegan Chinese food, cook books for normal vegetarian food. So if you do a little research you can find a lot of product and a lot of people that may be interested in these products. The trick is to find a product that will be appealing to the visitors of your website. Find the product that your visitors will be interested in and recommend them the product. Chances are you will make a good amount of money from helping them.
2. Once you know what kind of product you want to promote, you will need to find an affiliate program for that product. For this there are many affiliate networks like Clickbank, Paydotcom and Commission Junction that can give you tons of product to promote on health products. However, most of these products are only information products but there are some other websites as well like Market Health that will let you promote physical products.
But you should not limit yourself to these affiliate networks because on the internet you will find tons of other websites that want you to promote their products. There are some websites that have independent affiliate programs that want you to promote their products. It is a good idea to search through all of them, because you only want to promote the best products to your visitors.
3. The next part is choosing what kind of promotion methods you want to follow. If you want to just start selling products to people right away you can start with PPC (pay per click ), article marketing, video marketing, write product review, place a promotional in your newsletter if you want a free way to promote products.
Becoming a vegetarian affiliate will let you help other people improve their life for better and will also let you earn some money while doing it. Promoting vegetarian products is an excellent way to make money as the market is hot with more and more people wanting to convert to vegetarianism everyday.
If you don't know how to become a vegetarian affiliate, here are some tips that will help you.
1. You can find a lot of products related to vegetarianism that people will be willing to buy. Some of them are cooking books, how to start the vegetarian ebooks and courses , and food products. These are just the tip of the iceberg and if you dig deeper you will find much more.
There are ebooks for dieting using vegetarian foods, there are ebooks and books for vegetarian sauces, cook books for vegan Chinese food, cook books for normal vegetarian food. So if you do a little research you can find a lot of product and a lot of people that may be interested in these products. The trick is to find a product that will be appealing to the visitors of your website. Find the product that your visitors will be interested in and recommend them the product. Chances are you will make a good amount of money from helping them.
2. Once you know what kind of product you want to promote, you will need to find an affiliate program for that product. For this there are many affiliate networks like Clickbank, Paydotcom and Commission Junction that can give you tons of product to promote on health products. However, most of these products are only information products but there are some other websites as well like Market Health that will let you promote physical products.
But you should not limit yourself to these affiliate networks because on the internet you will find tons of other websites that want you to promote their products. There are some websites that have independent affiliate programs that want you to promote their products. It is a good idea to search through all of them, because you only want to promote the best products to your visitors.
3. The next part is choosing what kind of promotion methods you want to follow. If you want to just start selling products to people right away you can start with PPC (pay per click ), article marketing, video marketing, write product review, place a promotional in your newsletter if you want a free way to promote products.
Becoming a vegetarian affiliate will let you help other people improve their life for better and will also let you earn some money while doing it. Promoting vegetarian products is an excellent way to make money as the market is hot with more and more people wanting to convert to vegetarianism everyday.
Effective Pricing Strategy is to Control Financial Success
Posted by Unknown in Effective Pricing Strategy is to Control Financial Success on Saturday, September 1, 2012
If you want to sell your organization services in the wide range first. You have to set your standard price to achieve your financial success and business goal, Marketing is the only function that brings into the organization, all other management functions incur cost and pricing is the mechanism by which sales are transformed into revenues. to many services an industry, pricing was traditionally driven by a financial and accounting perspective; Price is so emotionally and intellectually charged a concept for both the buyer and the marketer. To arrive at some meaningful assessment of perceived price-value, one has to leap over two hurdles: first, the challenge of requiring people to make a trustworthy prediction about their purchase decisions; and second, the unreasonableness of expecting people to compute and signal a tolerance for varying levels of expenditure in a way that is both self-aware and candid.
A key goal of an effective pricing strategy is to manage revenues in ways that support the firm's profitability objectives. To do this a firm has to have a good understanding of its cost. The value created for customers and competitors pricing, this is a real challenge for services firm. Competitor pricing cannot be compared dollar for dollar with a firms pricing. As services are often location and time specific,
Generally Marketing includes:
• Determining what the customer wants and needs.
• Providing products or services that meet those wants and needs.
• Informing the customer about the availability of products and services and the benefits of using them.
• Selling products and services at prices that customer considers being fair.
This often used cost plus pricing, price schedules were often tightly constrained by government regulatory agencies and some projection are today. however most service businesses enjoy significant freedom in setting price and have a good understanding of value- base and competitive pricing, these developments have led creative pricing schedules and sophisticated yield management system ,
The Four P's of Marketing—Product, Place, Price, and Promotion provide you better understand that what they are likely to purchase and how much they are willing to spend for specific items.
Price: The value placed on the product or service being offered. The pricing structure is often determined by the unit cost of the product with a specific percentage mark up. The markup can range from 20-100% of unit cost.
Promotion: Influencing the acceptability and sale of the products and services to the customer. This could be done in several ways ranging from product line, pricing structure, and advertising strategies.
Product: The goods or services that are provided to the customer.
Place: How, where, and when the product or service is provided. This would include the location and an hour of operation is the main factor of potential marketing.
Pricing is typically more complex in services than in manufacturing because there is no ownership of services. it is usually more difficult for managers to determine the financial cost of creating a process or performance for a customer than to identify the costs associated with creating and distributing a physical good, the inability to inventory services places a premium on bringing demand and supply into balance, a task in which pricing has a key role to play, the importance of the time factor in service delivery means that speed of delivery and avoidance of waiting time often increase value , with the increase in value , customers are prepared to pay a higher price for the service.
Price sensitivity measurement methods:
"Asks permission" to charge higher prices for added value without loss of sales
Or
Seeks confirmation that discount pricing will increase, not depress, revenues (i.e., is not a Gratuitous concession)
Or
Seeks reassurance that the discount is an adequate concession, in light of product "deficits"
Conclusion: What does a marketing perspective bring to pricing? Effective pricing strategies seek to enhance for even maximize the level of revenues. Pricing research is a compass, not an automatic navigational system. Expect it to provide worthwhile guidance but not irrefutable answers, and be prepared to select different tools from your pricing kit for different marketing problems. One size, one tool definitely does not fit all. Often by discriminating between different market segments based on their value perceptions and ability to pay and between different time periods. Based on variations in demand levels over time
A key goal of an effective pricing strategy is to manage revenues in ways that support the firm's profitability objectives. To do this a firm has to have a good understanding of its cost. The value created for customers and competitors pricing, this is a real challenge for services firm. Competitor pricing cannot be compared dollar for dollar with a firms pricing. As services are often location and time specific,
Generally Marketing includes:
• Determining what the customer wants and needs.
• Providing products or services that meet those wants and needs.
• Informing the customer about the availability of products and services and the benefits of using them.
• Selling products and services at prices that customer considers being fair.
This often used cost plus pricing, price schedules were often tightly constrained by government regulatory agencies and some projection are today. however most service businesses enjoy significant freedom in setting price and have a good understanding of value- base and competitive pricing, these developments have led creative pricing schedules and sophisticated yield management system ,
The Four P's of Marketing—Product, Place, Price, and Promotion provide you better understand that what they are likely to purchase and how much they are willing to spend for specific items.
Price: The value placed on the product or service being offered. The pricing structure is often determined by the unit cost of the product with a specific percentage mark up. The markup can range from 20-100% of unit cost.
Promotion: Influencing the acceptability and sale of the products and services to the customer. This could be done in several ways ranging from product line, pricing structure, and advertising strategies.
Product: The goods or services that are provided to the customer.
Place: How, where, and when the product or service is provided. This would include the location and an hour of operation is the main factor of potential marketing.
Pricing is typically more complex in services than in manufacturing because there is no ownership of services. it is usually more difficult for managers to determine the financial cost of creating a process or performance for a customer than to identify the costs associated with creating and distributing a physical good, the inability to inventory services places a premium on bringing demand and supply into balance, a task in which pricing has a key role to play, the importance of the time factor in service delivery means that speed of delivery and avoidance of waiting time often increase value , with the increase in value , customers are prepared to pay a higher price for the service.
Price sensitivity measurement methods:
"Asks permission" to charge higher prices for added value without loss of sales
Or
Seeks confirmation that discount pricing will increase, not depress, revenues (i.e., is not a Gratuitous concession)
Or
Seeks reassurance that the discount is an adequate concession, in light of product "deficits"
Conclusion: What does a marketing perspective bring to pricing? Effective pricing strategies seek to enhance for even maximize the level of revenues. Pricing research is a compass, not an automatic navigational system. Expect it to provide worthwhile guidance but not irrefutable answers, and be prepared to select different tools from your pricing kit for different marketing problems. One size, one tool definitely does not fit all. Often by discriminating between different market segments based on their value perceptions and ability to pay and between different time periods. Based on variations in demand levels over time