Business development

Adaptability is key for effective sales presentations

by

Veteran salespeople know that sales presentations can occur under the most challenging circumstances. You can’t always count on the sales call going just as you like. Versatility is the name of the game. Or to put it another way, go with the flow. As is the case with public speaking, sales presentations test and hone your presentation … Read more

Develop unconventional leadership skills for better results

by

This month’s meeting of The Business Building Academy offered two outstanding presentations on developing and offering strong leadership. The presenters were Susan L. Farrell, MBA and Lt. Cmdr Chip Lutz USN (ret.). I discussed Susan’s presentation in another column.

leadership skills, how to be a good leader, effective leadership, leadership coachingChip, president and founder of Unconventional Leader, LLC, offered several very useful pieces of advice, including suggestions for leading in an unconventional way.

Some of the takeaways include:

– Appreciate those who are your friend; those who stick up for you. “If I’m loyal to my people,” Chip says, “they’ll be loyal to me.”

– Humility is important. Don’t take life too seriously, and be able to laugh at your mistakes. “It’s OK to fail,” Chip says. Employees feel more comfortable when managers step out of their comfort zones.

Read more

Sell more successfully with benefit-oriented copy

by

Do you want your audience to respond to your messages? Of course you do. One tactic that will help immensely is to stress benefits instead of features.

Features, you recall, are the elements or components of your product or service. Benefits, on the other hand, are what the customer will experience by using your product or service. Features are tangible, while benefits are intangible. As a marketer, you should strive to touch on those intangibles; play to your customers’ emotions.

Take a cue from the national advertisers. Some of the themes you’ll see and hear include:

Read more

Develop leadership skills for efficient, motivated staff

by

Leadership is critical for any organization, according to Kerry G. Denson, but often managers just don’t have the “tools”–the training–to be effective leaders. That can hurt the organization at any level.

traits of a leader, how to be a good leader, being a good leader, how to be a managerDenson is a retired brigadier general from the Wisconsin Army National Guard and operates his own business, Applied Leadership. He offered his thoughts during a presentation to the Wisconsin Business Owners Lunch & Learn on Friday. During his 40-year military career, Denson observed what motivates people. Knowing this allowed him to create “Leadership Tools” for his own “Leadership Toolbox.” Through his leadership workshops and other presentations, Denson shares these tools so that managers can become leaders.

Leadership is a universal human trait. “We all respond favorably to good-quality leadership,” he said. True leadership results in a motivated, efficient organizational culture.

Read more

Enhance your marketing with audio programs

by

Audio training programs add sound dimension Have you considered audio as a means for delivering your content? If not, you should. It’s fairly easy and inexpensive to get involved, and the results are quite impressive. For this column we’ll focus on the technical side. I’ll leave the content to you. The basic components and steps … Read more