Archive for January, 2009

In his book “The Contrarian Effect: Why It Pays (Big) to Take Typical Sales Advice and Do the Opposite” author Michael Port provides some tips on how to boost your sales even in the worst economic periods.

“It’s the perfect time for contrarian tactics because everyone is so ramped up trying to do so much,” says Port, a marketing guru and founder of “Book Yourself Solid,” a consulting firm that provides tools for attracting and retaining customers for life.

Port offers four scenarios where taking a contrarian approach can be more advantageous than the safe, traditional approach:

Typical: Close Early and Close Often.
Contrarian: Always Be Opening. Port says it’s about always having something to invite people to. Apple welcomes customers to play with their computers. Home Depot offers demonstrations about how to take care of a house. Softracks, a software company, used to do cold calls; now they offer free webinars and bring in experts to provide information to their customers. “Instead of selling all the time, invite them to things that will be valuable and relevant,” Port says.

Typical: Play the numbers game. Sell to everyone who has a checkbook and heartbeat.
Contrarian: Red Velvet Rope Policy. Focus exclusively on customers who are most ideal for your business. Really target your efforts, not just from a circumstantial perspective but from a personal perspective — the people you sell best to. “We are all different and we connect more with some people than with others,” says Port. “If we get good at understanding what this filter is, what this red velvet rope is, we will get better at identifying who we sell best to.”

Port says this philosophy may be more important in tough economic times as your customers begin to pull back. If you keep pushing more in a kind of shotgun approach you seem more irrelevant to them; sales and marketing are all about relevancy, he says.

Typical: Speed Sell. Move as much inventory as you can as fast as you can.
Contrarian: Slow down the sales cycle to build trust over time. If you want to seem remarkable or special or stand out from the crowd, Port says, you need to create these experiences, these no-barriers for entry opportunities and then, over time, build into the higher relationships. “If you can weather this storm, you will build much stronger relationships so that as people become freer with their money you’ll have loyalty.”

Typical: Never tell the price before the features and benefits have been really demonstrated.
Contrarian: Be Radically Transparent. Be upfront about everything your product does well and doesn’t do well. ‘The more open you are about who you are and who you serve, what’s wrong and what’s right, the more people will begin to give you the opportunity,” says Port. “Tell the truth, not in a manipulative way but in a honest, straightforward manner.”

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Now that the holidays are over and 2009 has officially begun, here are six things you can do this week to jump-start your public relations and marketing efforts for the year:

Review Collateral Materials. Take a hard look at the way you present yourself to the public, from your your letterhead, envelopes and business cards to sales brochures to your website. Is the message you are sending consistent with your strengths? Can the public get a sense of who you are just by seeing your marketing material? If not, it’s time to bring in a designer who can make sure your brand stays on message.

Sweat the Small Details. Review items such as your email signature, voice mail message, invoices, checks, shipping labels, and signs. Is everything still accurate? Do they have a consistent look and feel?

Network. Make a promise to attend at least one networking event per month. Check the local chamber of commerce for business card exchanges and mixers. Colleges and universities often hold seminars for small businesses. Pick one that sounds useful and attend as much for the contest as the networking opportunity.

Review Media Contacts. With the media in such flux these days, editors and reporters are on the move. Make sure you know who is making key decisions about coverage.

Social Media. Take advantage of the opportunities presented by Facebook, Linkedin, MySpace, Twitter and any number of social media. Make sure your profile and contact information are accurate.

Become an Expert. Pick a topic or two that you feel comfortable speaking about and let the media know you are willing to serve as a source in stories. Launch a blog or contribute posts or comments to a blog that covers your areas of expertise.

Some of these suggestions will take a few minutes; others will require more time to produce results. But as you prepare to make 2009 a year to remember, they will help you get off to a good start.

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