It’s been a long time since our last podcast, but we’re back and ready to go! In this episode, business growth expert David Blaise discusses how wrong activities and poor prospects can cause you to lose business to websites, local competitors and price-cutters.
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We started off strong with our first podcast back in 2005, making us either the very first, or certainly one of the first podcasts in the promotional products industry. We kept that up until about 2012 and it seemed like very few people were into listening to podcasts. So we began to focus our attention elsewhere. We produced an episode in 2015, but then went silent again, because it still didn’t seem like there was enough demand to justify producing additional episodes. But now, since everyone has a smart phone, podcasts are big again, so we’re back! If you have a question you’d like to have answered in a future podcast, just go to AskTopSecrets.com
Top Secrets Live Training
It was a pleasure seeing so many Top Secrets and AIM SmartEQP clients at the training events we conducted at the Expo in Las Vegas, and the ASI Shows in Orlando and Dallas. Trade show season is always a blast and this year was no exception. I’ll also be conducting training at the ASI Show in Chicago in July of this year, so if you’re planning to come to the show, be sure to attend some of my training sessions or stop by our Booth #1641 and say hello.
Losing Business to Websites, Local Competitors and Price-Cutters?
Today I’d like to talk to you briefly about one of the topics I covered in Orlando and Dallas: losing business to websites, local competitors and price cutters. If you find that happening more and more often, it’s likely you are either:
a. engaged in the wrong activities
b. targeting the wrong prospects or
c. all of the above.
Examples of wrong activities include:
- Providing phone or email quotes to unqualified strangers. Before you do that, qualify them first!
- Setting appointments with non-prospects. Don’t waste time on appointments with people who can’t spend monty with you!
- Focusing more on product research than client research. Because client knowledge is arguably a lot more important than product knowledge.
- Providing quotes to price-shoppers. Very often a dead end.
- Engaging in most bid processes. If you’re great at bids, it may be a good activity for you, but go in with your eyes open.
Examples of the wrong prospects include:
- Cheapskates
- Price-shoppers
- Do-it-Yourselfers
- Disloyal clients
- Unpleasant people
I believe that life’s too short to engage with them. Leave them to your competitors…
So with that said, I’d like to encourage you to think about the activities in your life, and also the people in your life.
What are the activities you’re engaged in that you may need to change or reconsider? And with whom are you currently spending your time? Are there any changes necessary there?
Do you have BAD clients you know you should have gotten rid of ages ago, but you haven’t done it because you’re not completely confident you can replace them? If so, go to topsecrets.com/tsca and learn more about our six step process for customer acquisition.
If we can help in any way, please be sure to visit us online at www.topsecrets.com or if you’re a smart, focused, independent distributor doing a reasonable volume of sales and looking to take your business to the next level, check us out at SmartEQP.com,