| |
| |
|
Small Business Information |
|
|
|
How to Manage Your Pipeline
How is your pipeline structured? I assume most of you have heard about the sales pipeline. Your pipeline is what keeps your business going. It is a lot like a funnel: at the large end, you need to do lots of activities that will generate a slew of interested contacts; some of these move down the funnel and become coached; of these, a few get qualified, and even fewer go on to be selected and finally closed. Once you have a customer, the tendency is to spend your time at that end of the funnel fulfilling the work. When the job is done, you turn around and there is no more work waiting; you go back to the other end of the funnel and start all over. The important lesson here is that you need to keep a balance within your pipeline so that you do not run out of clients at the end of the day. Have you ever been in a situation where you were working with one client that took up enormous amounts of your time and you had no time to do your marketing activities? And the client without warning cancelled the project and you were left without any work and nothing in the pipeline? This is the worst thing that can happen to a business. You should always have Plan B and Plan C and Plan D, etc., in the wings at all times. There are several stages in the pipeline but you must remember to work on it to keep things flowing through. If you get a customer that tends to eat all your time, make sure the client understands that you must take one day or half a day every week to work on your own marketing efforts. You can suggest that they extend the project over a longer period of time so that your needs are also met. You will find that most clients want their project as a first priority and that you will need to schedule your time around your own marketing activities. The important thing to remember is that you must always fill the pipeline. Your efforts to fill the pipeline while being tied up in other projects may seem difficult but you will find that a number of networking opportunities are either held early in the morning or in the evening. Some events are held at the lunch hour. Take advantage of this and set new client meetings around meal times. Don't let your business dry up; always work towards finding other relationships that can lead to future projects. Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite. She decided to find the best ways to get people's attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the "Networking Queen". Blueprint for Networking Success: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprint for Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in 2005. For more information visit http://www.BlueprintBooks.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Small-Business - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Power Tools for Business How do we keep track of our business deals?If you are only working with one or two deals, keeping track of them is a simple matter. However, most of us have far more than two deals on the plate and even more coming down the pipeline. Starting a Small Business: Balancing Risk and Reward In a perfect world, starting a small business would be risk free, but just as with everything else; the degree of risk determines the value of the reward.According to the National Commission on Entrepreneurship, at any given time, 6% to 9% of the United States adult population is involved in planning for a new business. Youll See It When You Believe It - Growing Your Business from the Inside Out What unspoken message are you sending your clients and customers? Is your personal energy field projecting positive, high vibrational energy or just the opposite? The latter will cost you business--and worse, you won't even realize it. The energy I'm talking about here has been called many things, "being in flow," "in the zone," "locked on", "jazzed", "sending out good vibes," (that last one is for anyone old enough to remember the 60's). Breaking The Chains! Everyday, customers and business owners are bombarded with billboards, logos, print and electronic ads from huge corporations. With annual ad budgets that are more than our businesses' SALES in an entire year, our small independent businesses are getting squeezed out of consumers minds (and wallets) more and more each year. Build Credibility with Expertise As an Investment Representative you've worked hard to build trust with your pension clients. Now, you can solidify that long term relationship with your expertise on one of the greatest fears of small business retirement plan sponsors. Business Scents - Do They Work? You see it often in large shopping complexes. Customers seem to be flocking to a certain stall in large droves. How Do I Choose The Right Business Opportunity For Me? First you have to start with knowing your budget and how much you can afford to spend on a business opportunity. There are ways of starting a business opportunity online for as little as $50 as an affiliate; this figure goes all the way up to $1 Million dollars with a McDonalds restaurant. Hosted PBX, Is It Right For You? "Order Now!" "Your Business Will Fail If You Don't Have This New Technology!" "Your Competition Has This Tool, Why Don't You?" Does any of this sound familiar? Does it make you cringe? It seems to be impossible to keep up with all the new trends in business today. It's hard to know which trends are just flash in the pan gimmicks and which are valuable tools that your business can actually benefit from. Outsourcing - A Positive Approach For Small Businesses Outsourcing is the strategic use of outside resources to perform activities traditionally handled by internal staff and resources. Small business owners can outsource non-core functions to specialized and efficient service providers. Mobile Truck Washing, Case Study Most folks in the pressure washing business are happier to do business cleaning concrete or flat work, because it appears to be easy. Some do both fleet truck washing and concrete, which makes sense. Market Makers Play a Significant Role in Reverse Mergers One overlooked individual in the process of taking a company public through reverse merger is the market maker. The market marker is critical especially if the company is going to be listed on OTC Bulletin Board or the NQB. How to Profit from Business Consulting Opportunities Business consulting opportunities might be just what your are looking for in a home based business.What do you do? Do you possess a mastery of your career? Are you articulate and able to convey ideas clearly? If so, you may be the perfect candidate for providing business consulting services. Buy a Flower Shop: Serious Considerations You've always liked flowers and you think the idea of turning emotions into floral expressions sounds like tremendous fun. You are between careers and have been investigating business opportunities in your community. Predicting Business Retirement Satisfaction for Business Owners Most business owners do not think of selling their companies as "retiring". Instead, these vital entrepreneurs see selling their business as a "transition. Local Search and Internet Yellow Pages - A Whole NewVocabulary for Small Businesss Buyers want both online and local information about where to buy Most small businesses are local in nature, serving people who live nearby. Their customers found them through traditional methods like the Yellow Pages or newspaper ads. Is Your Small Business Name Important? You bet a name is important. Many small business owners try to come up with a clever name for their business rather than one that explains what they do. Small Business Health Check-Up If your home business is not performing the way you hoped for, rather than stay away at night.. Presentations and Sales Automotive Detailers Many auto detailers fall short in their sales presentations. I have often shopped the competition to see what their knowledge base was to gage their worthiness as a formidable competitor in the market place. Essex Accountant: Accountancy Firm MVP for Your UK Business? Most business owners know when they need an accountant, but they do not realize how important the task is or how much their results can vary. No other job position outside of your own is going to affect your bottom line like an accountant and contrary to common belief, the job is not just about crunching numbers. How Micro Loans Can Mean Macro Success for Your Business "Inch by inch, row by row..
|
| Good Credit Loans | home | site map | School Bus Clothing | Florida Pool Heating |
| © 2006 |
