Yellow Dog Consulting

Sales & Marketing Consulting for solo-preneurs.

Your Lack of Organization is Costing You Business

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imgresLast week my client forwarded me an advertising opportunity that was a LIMITED opportunity. I reviewed it, it seemed like a good deal and our demographic so I emailed for more info. The ad rep sent me that info, AND two different rates for the same ad. I responded and ask if it really was the lower rate. the rep responded and said it was the higher rate and OF COURSE they were now sold out.

And I knew from the first email this advertising rep was going to be a nightmare to work with, and told my client that it probably wasn’t worth the great deal because she’d drive us all crazy in the mean time.

AND THEN…I get an email the next day that space is suddenly available again but I had to respond ASAP. So I ignored the email and went camping without internet access for the weekend. I let my client know this morning about the email and we decided to go with another ad option that will work just as well for my client’s demographic AND they aren’t a nightmare to work with.

Why oh why are sales reps so unorganized & all over the place? Get systems in place, stop, breathe and pay attention before you hit send, and you might sell a lot more. And sure, we have ALL done this, where you just can’t catch a break and keep hitting send too soon or screw up. But good grief, for the first time you contact a potential client, and then all 3 interactions are incompetent? No, you need to get it together.

What Does It Even Mean?

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imagesMy client forwarded an email to me today and all he said was “I’m just forwarding this because it is one of the MOST RIDICULOUS SENTENCES I HAVE SEEN IN PRINT IN THE IT INDUSTRY.” And oh boy was it.

Here’s the deal folks, we get into our industry and our expertise and we forget that not everyone speaks the same lingo as we do. OR conversely, you are so nervous you’ll look like a novice that you use too much lingo and the expert doesn’t know what you’re talking about (too many times have I had to quickly google an acronym while sitting in a client meeting).

I know I’ve told you folks before, if you write something, step away from it for the night (or at least a few hours) and then read it again. If you can’t wait, have someone else read it for you (find a partner you can swap this with). But, good grief, no one knows what Optimize Your Physical Identity Management from Your Secure and Budget-Friendly Cloud means.

And that’s their fault, not mine.

Pick a New Color

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IMG_7284I’m a big fan of my regular manicure appointments. I know myself well enough to know my hands are going to look awful if someone doesn’t take care of them for me. At my last manicure I picked a new color that was different from my usual colors. And my nail tech mentioned that too often people don’t branch out and try a new color. And she was right.

Too often in life and business we don’t branch out and pick a new color. It could be a new networking event, or messaging on a service you offer, or even a new service you want to offer. Maybe you need to pick up the phone and call that prospect and close the deal, or maybe you need to call that colleague and ask for their coaching or advice on a challenge you have.

What’s the worst that can happen? You go home and wipe off the color. It’s worth trying, at least once right?