Start Your Sales Engine!

Does your business run on a sales engine or a sales effort? A sales effort is something that has to be done every time you want to make a sale. But, a sales engine is something that, once put into place, can bring you sale after sale without added effort. Here are a couple of examples ?

A photographer gets to know a handful of bridal consultants that refer every new bride they meet to him. Each time they get a new client, he has the opportunity to get a phone call from that bride without having lifted a finger.

A home cleaning company establishes a relationship with organizations that provide temporary corporate housing for companies with newly relocated employees. The temporary housing companies contact the cleaning company each time they have a person vacate one of their units so they can prepare it for the next resident. Since the nature of the residences is temporary, they have a continual need for cleaning services.

In both of these examples, instead of spending valuable (potentially billable) work time on marketing, these companies are earning money. And during the time they do spend on marketing, they are focused on developing long-term relationships with sources of continual referral instead of tracking down each individual purchaser.

In the cleaning company example, they could be running classified ads, taking calls, visiting individual homes to provide cleaning estimates, etc. But all that effort only results in one job. There is an opportunity to clean each temporary residence 3-4 times per year. Multiply that figure by the number of units the temporary housing company manages, and you've got some regular business rolling in. And all from one relationship. Now, that's a sales engine!

In the case of the photographer, the service is not being performed for the bridal consultants. It's being performed for their clients. So, rather than being a repeat-service relationship, it is a referral relationship. However, it is not reciprocal. By the time the photographer hears from brides, they have already started planning the other elements of their wedding, so it's too late to refer them to the bridal consultants he knows. But, he could reward the bridal consultants with a referral fee that he creates by either discounting his services when dealing with those brides they refer to him or by marking his services up by 15%.

Despite all the stories you hear, most business owners are honest people who have the desire to treat their customers fairly. In the case of the photographer, the bridal consultants provide the brides with a list of photographers that they can choose from. This allows the bride to make her own decision based on quality/price rather than being pushed into a relationship with a particular photographer.

Would you prefer to invest your time in building a relationship that brings you sale after sale or one that brings you a one-shot sale? It's not magic. It's not a get-rich quick scheme. It's a simple key to business success.

So, the question is .. are you going to spend this afternoon pitching one account that could lead to one job or building a relationship that could lead to several jobs? Don't get me wrong -- it can take more than an afternoon to establish the most ideal relationships. But, in more cases than not, it's no more difficult to form this one relationship than it is to form any other.

Start your sales engine!

About The Author

Kimberly Stevens is the author of the ebook series, *The Profitable Business Owner: A Step-by-Step System for Starting & Running a Successful Service Business*. Download Sample Chapters & get her free MiniCourse, *The 10 Most Common Mistakes Business Owners Make & How To Avoid Them* at: http://www.askthebizcoach.com/ebooks.htm

kim@askthebizcoach.com

---

Prep Your Customer

When I first moved to Seattle, I worked for 9... Read More

Is the Sales Funnel Dead?

Think about it. If only it was as easy as... Read More

The Reason Why They Buy

If you're a business person you want to sell your... Read More

The Pipeline: Curious, Desperate, Inspired?

You do have a "Pipeline" don't you? You know, the... Read More

Are You a Sales Professional?

Many sellers like to describe themselves as professionals, but what... Read More

Do You Fold Like A Taco?

Have you ever eaten a soft taco? The shell isn't... Read More

Dont Read This Issue: Why Saying No Can Make Your Sales Rate Soar!

Yes, it's true. Saying "No" is a great way of... Read More

Three Essential Questions You Must Ask To Make More Sales ? Ignore Them At Your Peril

There's loads of material about making money available on the... Read More

Reaching Goals in Direct Sales

From surveys and experience, we've noticed many setting excellent goals... Read More

If You Respect Them, They Will Buy -- Closing the Sale

We've all had the unfortunate experience of being convinced by... Read More

Dramatically Increase Sales With The KISS Test

We've all heard the term KISS at one time or... Read More

Why Sales People Are Creating Their Own Objections

I'm about to reveal the biggest secret to growing any... Read More

Being Politically Correct When Selling Can Cost You Sales

In our culture it is basically un-American for a prospective... Read More

You CAN Be a Great Salesperson!

When you are in sales, you have the choice to... Read More

Youre Hired... I Think

I'm not a fan of "The Donald" and I had... Read More

The Canned Sales Pitch Myth

Canned or scripted sales approaches are rarely successful, because one... Read More

Customers Do Not Know How To Ask Good Questions ? That Is Your Job

Customers will ask you a question and you'll proceed to... Read More

11 Secrets to Leadership in Sales

In his classic book, "Think and Grow Rich", Napoleon Hill... Read More

How To Go Perpendicular In Your Sales Territory

First and foremost are you thinking Strategically? "Do you have... Read More

How to Maximize Sales by Minimizing Windshield Time

During the late 1980's I was a field sales representative... Read More

Probe Before You Sell

When selling a product to a customer, it is very... Read More

7 Safety Tips Every Realtor and Door-to-Door Sales Professional Need to Practice

These are the top 7 safety tips that criminals don't... Read More

The 7 Deaths of a Salesman

In sales, you can work one of two ways. You... Read More

Four Ways To Increase Your Sales Fast... In 2-4 Weeks?

You built a very good web site...You have a great... Read More

Is It Time To Rethink Your Sales Training Program or Is Your Sales Training Delivering Results?

Sales is still a must for any company who wishes... Read More

What You Can Learn From The Movie Business

Maybe everything you need to know you can learn from... Read More

7 Ways to Get to the Truth: When the Sale Disappears

Based on his most recent e-mail, "Everything looks good --... Read More

Customers Want You to Ask for the Money

Many years ago, I was the one starting a small... Read More

How to Master the Art of Salesmanship

I put together this little article because, although basic, we... Read More

The Road to Achieving Training Success: What Holds the Key?

As a trainer, you will be able to see a... Read More

Selling Yourself - Its Not About You

I recently found myself suffering from a lousy cold; all... Read More

When The Clock Strikes Twelve!

I just finished reading another sales copy ending with the... Read More

Why Salespeople Fail

Since 1990 I have focused on the three primary barriers... Read More