Back from my days of training, I was responsible for helping sales managers create their own sales toolbox. Yes, it was an actual box with some of our collateral and forms but it also contained items that I will share with you that were helpful visuals and reminders on how they could approach clients and situations and feel that no matter what, they could meet the needs of our clients.
Many of my sales reps attending my training were surprised to realize that they already had everything they needed but just needed to look at the contents of their toolbox a bit differently to know how they could make it work for their business.
In this Series, I will show you the tools that should be in your sales/marketing toolbox, why they need to be there and how to identify the tools you need to use for specific situations. I also hope to provide lots of inspiration, motivation and some thinking out of the box mentality. Who couldn't use all that?
Have you ever gone out and realized you left your purse, wallet or cell phone at home? Think about it - scary thought when you realize all the important things that are contained in there - your driver's license, money, credit card or ATM card, phone numbers, access to emails and simply a way to get in touch with someone if needed. Just as important as those things are to us, so too is our sales/marketing toolbox and we should certainly not leave home, the office or start our day without digging into it.
Think of your toolbox as an essential part of having efficiency, effectiveness and the right resources to approach your business and your clients in a way they need and deserve.
First tools - Safety Glasses and a magnifying glass
Goggles or safety glasses are forms of protective eye wear that usually enclose or protect the eye area in order to prevent particulates, water or chemicals from striking the eyes.
Magnifying glass is a convex lens which is used to produce a magnified image of an object.
Why these 2 items?
When you have a clear vision of where you want to go, you're more apt to give it all you've got to get there and you're also more open to finding the right people to help you get there. Putting your safety glasses on will not only help you have a clearer vision but it will help protect you from the things standing in your way like shortcuts, fear, self doubt, and obstructions (situations & people) who might detour us along the way.
Sometimes we also have a huge marketing vision and plan and it can seem quite overwhelming. Break down your plan into small manageable tasks and get that magnifying glass out to look at each item to determine how you're going to focus on that particular task. You will not only feel a sense of accomplishment in completing that task but also because you completed it to the best of your abilities and that's something your clients are depending on and needing.
As I mentioned to you in a previous post about having a marketing plan/vision for the upcoming year, by the way, how's that going?- you need to have a plan to keep you focused on your goals - you know the ones you feel are important to take your business to the level you want it to be and the ones you promised your clients that you would oversee. Without it you will simply find yourself doing everything and feeling that you're not truly accomplishing your goals because there's no focus and structure. Don't have a plan yet? Make an appt with yourself just like you would a doctor's appt and make sure you don't cancel it - yes, it's that important.
Ok, lets get our tools (goggles and magnifying glasses) and begin: Lets take "marketing your listing" for example:
- What kind of home is it? (1 family home, luxury home, townhome, rental or for sale) this will help to determine ideal places for you to place the listing for marketing purposes. There are many tools and places to post your listings but are you using the right ones for a particular listing?
- Where can I place it that it will get the most exposure? (website, blog, RE Shows, Youtube, social networking sites, realbird, etc. - you get the picture)
- How much time will I dedicate to marketing this listing?
- Is there anyone that can effectively help me manage this task or my time?
- What tools and resources do I need to accomplish this?
- Will I dedicate the time to managing the marketing of this listing, tracking it, and providing feedback and follow-up with my client?
Perhaps this seems like an easy task if you have a few listings, but imagine having more than a few - can you and will you do this for all of them? Is this something you are promising all your clients? When you get a new listing do you have a punch list of all the things that you need to do, places you need to put this listing or are you just doing it by memory and hoping you don't miss anything? This might be a good time to create a punch list of all the things you will do for a new listing - where you will post it and how you will manage and track results.
My point is: put on your safety glasses and get out your magnifying glasses. Now pull out your marketing plan and your listing presentation and create a solid plan for your marketing that will create a lasting impression for your client that you are someone they can trust and depend on. Having a true and clear vision is necessary to ensure your success and the success that your client is expecting.
Do you have safety goggles and a magnifying glass in your sales/marketing toolbox?
Can you guess what other items should be in your toolbox? (stay tuned for the answers in some upcoming posts, but would be interested to know what you think.)
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Stay tuned for the next tool discussion which will include a measuring tape, and no it's not for measuring the dimensions of the rooms in a home.
Note: I will also be posting links to this series that you will find on the side of my blog and on my website for easy reference. (Thank you Rebecca!)
Ready to take your Marketing to new levels? Anne Marie Malfi ~ Malfi Marketing Solutions.com ~ Copyright 2009
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