5 Must-Have Tech Tools for Small Business Marketing

CFIB Report: Small business confidence inches downward in April - Canada's small business optimism inched downward in April, following on the heels of a larger decline in March. After a promising start to the year, more business owners appear disappointed with their firms' performance so far this spring. Read an overview and access a link to the full report... For provincial summaries...

Another CFIB report: Small Business gives the federal budget a "B" - Small business owners received some positive news in the 2013 federal budget with movement on several of the top recommendations from CFIB. Read more...

Globe and Mail: Average pay on the rise in Canada - The number of hours worked in Canada is little changed, and employment gains are muted, but earnings growth is firming.

Average earnings rose 3.1 per cent in February from a year earlier, with the biggest gains in construction and public administration, and in Alberta, Statistics Canada's payrolls survey showed Thursday. That's the fastest rate of annual increase in five months. Read more...

2013 BMO Small Business Confidence Report Reveals Outlook for Performance, Economy, Growth and Investment - TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - April 2, 2013) - According to the latest BMO Small Business Confidence Report released today, Canadian businesses remain confident in their business prospects and the state of the economy for 2013, with British Columbia and Atlantic Canada leading the way. Read more...

This month we focus on sales and marketing, starting with 20 inspirational marketing thoughts, and hard truths from Mike Wicks. Wicks' sales and marketing column has been a fixture in Douglas Magazine (www.douglasmagazine.com) for the last five years. For more about the author see www.mpwicks.com.

1. Ruffle some feathers; have an opinion on what's happening in your industry - people don't have to like you, but they need to know you exist. Making a name for yourself is as simple as being an opinionated so-and-so.
2. Justin Bieber yourself! Let people become fans of you and your business, and treat them like royalty.
3. Give away the farm - shower gifts on your fans and those that have yet to see the light. Think eBooks, information, advance access to new products, even access to you!
4. Make customers feel special. Think limited or special editions, advance availability, invitations to product launches - the people following you on social media should feel special.
5. Court influential people (including the media) and get them onside as supporters - super fans if you like. Give them insider information and create stories about your company, and yourself, that they can spread.
6. Take a long, hard look at your organizational culture - it's your brand. Do you like what you see? Is it visible to your customers?
7. Demonstrate you are trustworthy and reliable everyday. Few businesses are both, and many are neither - dare to be different.
8. Grow green, orange and purple cauliflowers and see price resistance disappear.
9. Do something unique: under promise - over deliver.
10. Marketing is not about who has the most dollars, it's about innovation and inspiration. Go viral and get a million dollars worth of advertising from a smartphone video.
11. Social media is here to stay. Embrace it like an overbearing old aunt trying to smother you with kisses.
12. If people aren't talking, linking, liking, and tweeting about you, you are fading from the scene man.
13. Without a strong Internet and social media presence you will be invisible to many consumers. Social media is NOT a passing phase, whether you like it or not.
14. Write, speak, make news. Pontificate - tell the world what you know - be the expert the media want to contact when discussing your industry. Write a blog and make it damn well controversial.
15. Almost one-quarter of consumers post reviews about what they buy. Do you know what they are saying about you? Are you sweating yet?
16. Exceptional customer service is expected - raising the bar is optional, like paying taxes!
17. Stand out from the crowd - make random acts of kindness a part of your marketing strategy. By the way, these 20 tips are free!
18. Change is the only constant - keep up, or ship out.
19. Discover your voice - understand what you stand for and ensure your customers understand it too.
20. In today's world, marketing success is gauged by the amount of chatter. If people aren't talking about you then you have become yesterday's news. In the words of Oscar Wilde, "The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about."

No matter what business you are in, you have to sell. Nothing happens in a business until somebody sells something. In this article we'll take a quick look at six things you can do right now to help close more deals.

1. Dress for success. First impressions count and your appearance does make an impression. This doesn't mean you need to wear a jacket and tie, or suit, all the time, but it does mean that you should always look smart, even when meeting clients that dress in workwear.
2. Listen more, talk less. If you recall the last really good conversation you had with someone, you will almost certainly remember you talked more than they did. When we have an opportunity to put across our ideas, we value the conversation more. Bear this in mind when selling; it's okay to guide the conversation, but be sure to listen to the answers and always be on the lookout for the prospect's concerns and objections, even those that may be hidden among a bunch of other stuff they are saying.
3. Choose your words carefully. Never speak ill of your competition. Never undermine your boss or business partner, for example, by saying something like, "well, I'd love to give you that deal but my boss would never go for it." Never swear - even if your client uses every profanity in the book. Never try to impress with big, or technical words. Making your client feel stupid such as saying "well, anyone who knows anything about business would see this is a great deal" is never a good idea. Never talk politics, or religion; it's tempting to discuss current major events, or breaking news but avoid this discussion route. Last, do not dismiss or minimize your prospect's concerns or objections.
4. Sell yourself first. Launching into your sales pitch straight after the welcoming handshake will start you off on the wrong foot. Spend a few minutes passing the time of day. As corny as it sounds, talking about the weather is better than nothing. People buy from people they like; people with whom they feel an emotional connection. Ask if they had a good weekend and they might mention gardening, or boating, or whatever - this is your chance to ask them more about their interests. People like nothing better than talking about the activities they enjoy.
5. ABC (Always Be Closing). Obviously you will need at some point to make your presentation, or pitch, and that's important, but you can easily get carried away with extolling the virtues of your product and service and forget that you are there to get a sale. Make the personal connection, present the information, and then ask for the sale. People expect you to ask. Look for signs the person is ready to buy, try some trial closes (e.g. does this look as if it will do the job you need it to?) then ask for the order. If they still need more information, they'll let you know. Knowing when to stop presenting and start asking for the sale is a key to success.
6. It's not all about you. Selling is about solving your prospect's problems, easing their pain, or making/saving them money. Customers want to see that you care about them and their best interests. They care about whether you'll deliver on your promises. They care about whether you can be trusted, and that they'll get value for money. They don't care about your previous sales success. They don't care about the prestigious companies you've worked for in the past. They don't care about how many other people you've sold this product to. Think like a customer; view the world from their perspective, and always think about how you can help your prospect. That's what will build your reputation in the industry, and in the end give you the success you want.

When it comes down to it, selling is about providing your customer with what they want, reliably, at a price they can afford. If they feel you are self-absorbed, they will doubt whether you can deliver on those three promises.

It doesn't matter what you produce, whether it's a product or service, at some point during the sales process you have to ask for the order. Sure, some people will turn up and beg you to allow them to buy from you but seriously is that the norm? If it is then you've got a business that probably doesn't need my help and perhaps you should be writing these articles instead of me!

For most people the selling process is the toughest part of business. Most of us do what we do because we are passionate about it, whether we grow vegetables, manufacture model cars, or serve people delicious food in our restaurant. Few of us start a business because we like to sell - it just happens to be a necessary 'evil' of business life.

The fear of asking for the order, or getting people to pay, is the biggest fear of the average business person and what prevents many entrepreneurs from being successful. Overcome your fear and take ownership of the sales process, and you'll go from doing well, to doing exceptionally well.

First though, we need to identify the fear, feel it, own it, understand it, and push past it toward success. Let's look at a few strategies that might help you deal with the fear of hearing no.

When you come right down to it - it's just numbers

Rejection is a key part of sales. You will face rejection, I promise. The best salesperson in the world does not get a yes from everyone he or she sells to - it just isn't possible. So we need to accept that our product, or service, is going to be rejected - probably quite a lot. If you accept that not everyone is going to say yes, then you have to also accept that many people will say no along the way. Okay, so now look at the no's as a way to reach the yes's - the more no's we hear the closer we are to a yes. Unless what you are selling is terrible and of no use to anyone, of course! Take note of how many no's you get in relation to yes's, that way you will be able to judge how many people you need to sell to, to get the number of yes's you need to be profitable.

It's probably not you they are saying no to

Unless you are a real jerk, the person you are selling to is rejecting what you are selling not you. It could be lack of need, affordability, budget, or dozens of other things - just make sure when you get a firm no that can't be turned into a yes, you fully understand what the objection was and are satisfied that you could not overcome it. So they said no - get over it, move onto the next prospect and don't carry over any negative thoughts, or feelings, to the next potential customer.

Is hearing 'no' the end of it?

You don't want to be the pushy sales person that everyone thinks is a jerk, but learn to read people enough to recognize when 'no' actually means, "I don't have time right now" or "I don't understand how this product/service could help me." The first word we learn as toddlers is not 'yes' it's 'no' and the same goes for prospects, their default is set to 'no' - you just have to make sure that the use of that word is fully justified. Learn to read people. Is their no, firm, or just reluctance? If there is hesitation, it may mean they just need to hear more. Or it may mean that they really love it, but now's not the right time. In any case, seize that moment to give them what they need. If it's more info - come back again. If it's not now, ask them when will be a good time. Is it really money that's the obstacle, or are they afraid because of a previous bad purchasing experience? Don't be afraid to ask questions to find out the truth behind the no. Good probing is intrinsic to good closing.