It’s Sunday evening, you are at home, catching the very last moments of peace before another busy week kicks in tomorrow.

While you’re relaxing over a glass of wine, you decide to have a peek into your inbox and review your plan for the week ahead.

You open your email, a message pops up. The subject catches your attention, it’s a promise and a good one. You start reading the copy and, suddenly you have that EUREKA moment.

You just had an idea that will push your business forward.

And, I bet you remember very well the name of the person who sent you the message.

Sometimes it might just be a tiny suggestion. A few lines that spark an idea. Other time it might be a long post describing what you need to do.

Ever happened to you before? Sure it did. And, how did you feel then?

Excited, happy, grateful? Most likely all three, and more.

Now imagine something else.

Your prospects are reading on Sunday evenings (or weekends) too. They plan the week ahead, they check their emails, they read stuff online.

But, are you making sure that the words they read are yours?

Do you send them an useful tip, a suggestion that will help them work better, improve their business, make more money, have that EUREKA moment?

I do. Every Saturday morning I send an email with my most powerful tips on making sales, finding clients, providing a sticky customer experience and more. This is my most powerful advice, reserved to the very people who want to build that relationship with me.

Chris Brogan, a man whom I greatly admire does the same. He just moved his inspiring newsletter to Sunday. Why? To build a more intimate relationship with his readers.

Why Weekend?

It’s quite simple. This is the time when we are the most relaxed. There aren’t that many professional issues that distract us. Seemingly, this is also the time when we often search for new information, even subconsciously. Our brains rest but also work in the background, trying to solve any issues that our businesses currently face.

It’s the time when we are the most vulnerable and an inspiring or powerful message can really hit home.

Lastly, there aren’t that many newsletters sent on the weekend.

Needless to say, it’s the time exploit for your sales.

However, it’s not an easy task and here are some things to remember:

1. Don’t sell

Under no circumstances, don’t sell. The weekend newsletter is reserved for the information and advice that will make the client go WOW. Make it the best thing you write during the whole week (I do!). But, don’t sell.

This is your chance to show your worth to your prospect. So leave that great offer you currently run for some other time. Make this newsletter helpful, not “salesy”.

2. Craft an amazing subject line for your email

Subject line is the first thing that will make your prospect to open the email. Remember, it most likely won’t be the first thing they read so make sure that you stand out from the crowd (or your competitors).

For some great subject line hacks, check out this amazing (and FREE) book by Jon Morrow (Oh and before I forget, Jon, one of the best marketers alive also sends a weekend email…. just saying)

3. Don’t be afraid to link to other people

If it helps your prospect, don’t be afraid to recommend others. In this post alone I recommended Chris and Jon Morrow to you. They are great people and without a doubt, they offer great value. I am not afraid to link to them, I know they will help you and I am sure you will be grateful that I recommended them.

4. Your email doesn’t have to be long

A few lines, even two sentences will be enough if you manage to communicate value through that. Remember, it’s not the quantity that counts here.

5. You have to send those newsletters regularly

You can’t just send one and expect orders to keep rolling in. This is relationship building, it will take time and you have to keep on working at it. But, it will all be worth it, you’ll see.

Want to see what I send to my prospects?

Simply, sign up to my newsletter below, you will also receive 2 chapters from my book absolutely FREE!.

As for the newsletter, I promise to challenge you every time we communicate.

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We want recognition amongst our peers. We want our clients to love us, talk about us, recommend us. We want to be spoken of and praised.

And, yes, whether you admit it or not, you too want to shine in your industry.

The trouble is, most of the time, you feel average. It’s your competition that gets it all, not you.

They get all the business, calls, interviews, Facebook likes, referrals and more.

Well, here’s your chance to change that. Today, I will give you a simple recipe for shining in your industry.

Ready?

DO EVERYTHING THE WAY IT SHOULD BE DONE.

That’s it.

You don’t need to do anything crazy, you don’t need to go beyond your limits. Just do things the way everyone expects them to be done. I can guarantee you that you will be one of the very few that do that.

Want me to be more specific? Sure. Check out this list of ideas off the top of my head, that’s only the tip of the iceberg though:

• smile, be nice and polite
• enjoy what you do
• charge what you are worth
• deliver exactly what you promised
• actually, enjoy being at work, no matter what
• sincerely help your clients
• listen to what your clients really say, not what you think you hear
• answer their emails and pick up the phone with a smile
• let them know straight away when things go wrong
• don’t lie to them
• be easy to work with
• offer the best advice, don’t keep it for some “better client”
• let your clients know what you think
• correct them if they are wrong, not when you think they should do something else.
• do things when you say you will do them
• set the rules and stick to them so that your clients always know what to expect
• ask smart questions
• don’t waste your clients time
• come up with solutions not more problems
• admit your mistakes
• always put your clients first
• don’t pretend you work all the time (everyone knows that you don’t anyway)
• be yourself, show your weaknesses (because it’s actually OK to be human, you know?)

Oh, and do you want to know why all this works?

Because, it’s the small things that matter, not what the sign outside of your office says.

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Yes, frustration, not stress, fear or fatigue.

Clients, the type of work they get, the money they make, a lack of sales, their competitors success and much more makes them annoyed and disappointed.

Did it ever happen to you too? Do you have those days when you curse everyone around you for being more successful than you?

Well, if so, I have some great news. It’s not that serious and, there is a quick fix for this.

Before I give it to you though, let me ask you something. Do you know what is the root of all this frustration?

It’s success.

Success is the most overlooked aspect of business. No one really tells you about it when you start. Sure, they tell you about successful people but, in most cases their choice is based on a very generic idea of success.

You, on the other hand may have a completely different understanding of what success is.

To you, having a yacht and a $12M home might not be what you aim towards. It can be the freedom and flexibility that self employed life offers.

You might not be interested in building a multinational corporation but a small home business and a peace of mind.

You might not want to innovate but live a simple life and devote a lot of time to your family.

Or perhaps you want more money that you can imagine, yacht or a mansion.

That’s perfect, that’s your success.

The trouble is, you probably don’t realize that. You don’t know where you are going, you don’t know what you should be doing to get there and well, you get frustrated.

Luckily, there is a quick fix.

Develop a clear vision for your business

Like with everything else in life, to be successful you need to know what you want. You need to know when you will be able to say stop. This is your vision for the business. Coincidentally, it is also one of the most important pillars of every company.

Your vision presents your business when it is complete.

It shows you how your company will look like when you are done building it. It defines the type of clients you will be working with, how you will operate, how big or small the business will be and the lifestyle it will offer you.

This is the “too good to be true” version of your business.

Vision has nothing to do with any business planning. Or financial predictions, stats and all that stuff. All that comes later, to help make that vision a reality. But the vision must come first.

But, here is the best part, everyone has a vision for their success, no exceptions. You know very well what you want your business to be like. You know very well what kind of lifestyle you want to live. You just don’t verbalize it, at least not until now.

So far, it is probably just a feeling. You can also call it an idea, doesn’t matter. What matters is that it’s not put in any communicative form.

In order to make the most out of your vision, you need to make it specific. Make it easy to communicate to others (although you don’t have to tell anyone about it, just make sure it’s out of your head in a form that someone else apart from you would understand).

Why is this so important

Vision helps you to plan your next actions. It makes creating a roadmap to success simple.

It’s easier to know how many sales you need to make each month to succeed. Seemingly, thanks to your vision it’s easy to plan what business actions you need to take to make this vision a reality. And, most importantly, vision also tells you when your work is done.

In short, it is much easier to become successful when you have a clearly defined vision.

Your turn?

Do you know where you are going with your business? Do you have your success clearly defined? How will you know that you got there?

Let me know in the comments.

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On one end you have big companies, your top competitors. They are the ones getting the best clients, charging top premium rates and well, pretty much everyone knows about them. These are probably the people you look up to in business.

Well, there is the other side then. I call them “bedroom bandits”. You know very well who they are. They charge ridiculously low prices, undermining everyone else in the industry. They deliver the lowest quality work you can imagine, get only the clients that don’t want to pay anything in the first place, yet, you still think they take away the work from you.

And then there is you, right in the middle. You don’t want to be associated with the “bandits bunch” (who would?). But, your business is still far from being perceived as a serious enterprise.

You are having trouble finding clients that are willing to pay you top rates. And, you find yourself constantly wishing for that one thing that could put you on the mouth of everyone in your industry. You try various things but none seem to be working.

Thankfully, there are some things that you can do to change this. And, the lesson comes right from the very people you look up to.

How big companies work

Big companies work towards one goal only, making profit. There is nothing else that interests them. Because of that, all their actions are aimed towards making as many sales and bringing as much money for the business as possible.

They have it all fully worked out. They know how much money they need to bring in, what kind of clients they need to attract and what to do to get them to come back for more.

Yes, they follow a plan.

Seemingly, they keep track of everything that is happening in their business on a regular basis, knowing exactly of any potential problems that might arise.

You on the other hand probably work in a more relaxed way. I bet there is no plan behind your actions, no sales agenda and you not always know how much money is in your pipeline. Well, this can change now with the advice below.

2 Areas of Your Business that Should Work Like a Big Business

Not everything that big businesses do is right. I personally could say a lot against some of their actions. However, there are two areas of their operation that you should imitate almost entirely.

Sales

Big companies are a sucker for sales. They employ plenty of sales people to find and nurture leads, ultimately bringing new work for the company every day (and, how many days when you get new work in do you have each week?)

As much as you probably can’t employ sales people (and you probably don’t even need them anyway), there are some things that you can implement into your business to get the same results the big boys do.

1. Introduce sales quotas

Big companies have sales quotas. Sometimes they call them targets, other times budgets, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that they have the exact amount of money they need to bring in each month to turn profit fully worked out and have their sales people working hard to achieve that.

In order to grow your business and put it on your industry map, you should do exactly the same. Work out the exact value of new projects you need to bring in each month and work towards achieving that.

And hey, this way you will not only see an increase in sales but a stability in your business.

2. Define your daily sales tasks

You might not be able to dedicate the whole day to selling but you should spend at least some portion of it trying to find new work. And in order to make the most of that time, you should have your daily sales tasks fully defined.

Prepared a list of what you need to do every day to meet your sales quota. This could include a number of phone calls you need to make, email cold calls to send, follow ups and so on. Be realistic, you may not hit it for the first few weeks or months but ultimately you will be able to work what you can do in a day out.

If you’re wondering how to start your sales process, check out my book “The 14 Day Step by Step Quick Start Guide to Selling”, which outlines the first steps you need to take to start your selling process.

Finances

Numbers are the most important thing for big companies. They plan what results they want to achieve and keep track of their progress. You should do exactly the same

1. Plan your budgets

I spoke about this already when we talked about sales. You should have your yearly financial goal worked out, know exactly how much money you need to bring in every month or even week and work towards that. Your financial plan should include not only the money you want to make but also all the expenses your business normally generates.

2. Track your business performance

Seemingly, you should regularly check how your company is doing. How much money you currently have, how much is in the work you are working on at the moment and how much is in your current sales pipeline.

Want to track how your business is doing? Get your hands on my FREE business performance tracker now.

3. Track your expenses

Lastly, in order to keep everything under control you should also track your expanses, also those made for clients projects. Make sure that you get paid for those, otherwise, those money will come out of your own income.

Your turn

Do you work out your finances and sales? Or do you go with the flow and take whatever work comes your way? Let me know in the comments below.

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I bet this sounds weird. Let’s face it, you probably thought you knew where to look for money before you even considered running a business. Not to mention that there is plenty of advice everywhere on the subject. You hear it everywhere:

The money is in a mailing list. Or in providing a great customer service.
It is in your sales pipeline too, get plenty of prospects and it is a given that some will buy from you. The money is in doing great work. The money is in pleasing your clients or in playing golf with them. Or in connections, friends from school that are on high positions.

Or …. no, sorry, I have to stop here. It’s in fact in none of the above.

Sure, this is how you get the money, but in reality, the money, the BIG money I should say is somewhere else.

The money is in LOYALTY.

Lists, long pipelines, lists of prospects, price, customer service, great work, all this can be beaten.

Your mailing list is not the only one the person subscribes to. Your customer service is great but what if they are after the price instead? There is always someone cheaper. Great work matters but many people can provide even better quality, sorry.

LOYALTY on the other hand is one thing your competitors can’t beat. Your clients cannot be loyal to you and them at the same time. They can’t be loyal to you today and to someone else tomorrow.

If they are loyal to you, then it’s you only.

Loyal clients are your biggest asset

Loyal customers will give you more business. They will pay you a much higher price. They will tell their friends about you and will inspire them to buy from you. Hell, they might even make them to do so. They will forgive you small errors and won’t go somewhere else straight away. They will help you when you need help. They will advocate for you.

And most importantly, they will never even consider taking a call from your competitor.

Building a loyal client base should be the primary objective of any small business.

By doing so you will quickly increase your revenue and earn more money.

How you can create loyal clients

I could probably write a book about it and still do not exhaust the subject. But, for the sake of keeping this post short, I will consolidate it down to one sentence only, actually, two words will be enough:

Build trust.

If your clients trust you with all their hearts, minds and every limb in their bodies, they will be loyal to you. If they know they can rely on you in any situation, they will be loyal too.

Here are some proven formulas that work:

• Inspire your clients, everyday
• Be honest with them, always, even if this means embarrassing yourself and admitting a mistake
• Build a relationship with them, don’t just sell to them
• Do what you promise
• Don’t promise what you can’t / don’t want to do
• Constantly offer solutions, not only acknowledge problems

It will all take time to implement these, true. Once you do that though, you will see amazing results that are more than worth working for.

But hey, do you want to know one kick ass thing you can start doing right now, today to start creating loyal clients?

Ring them. No, not just call them. Keep in touch with your customers, regularly. Don’t wait for them to call you with a problem, new project or to ask for a solution. Don’t hide away from their questions only because you have already been paid for the work.

Instead, check up on them regularly on your own initiative. It doesn’t actually take much. Simply call them out of the blue once every week, month, quarter (you will know better how often you should do it, they are your client after all). Or call in to their offices unannounced whenever you are nearby.

Don’t talk sales, don’t ask for more work. Just check up how are things with the project you did for them recently. Or to see if whatever solution you applied the last time worked.

Make sure that your clients know that you are there for them and that you care. Believe me, this one thing alone will be enough to make them loyal. To you.

Questions:

Before you go, ask yourself those questions. You might be surprised by your answers.

• What company are you loyal to?
• Why you are loyal to them?
• Are you implementing any of those reasons in your own business?

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And, it’s not just about your work, products, services or your company. They don’t discuss your sales style or your recent presentation. They talk about YOU:

- who you are
- what you talk about
- how you say it
- what you wear (yes, that too)
- how you conduct your business
- how reliable (or not) you are
- how helpful (or not) you are
- your attitude
- your sense of humor
- your virtues
- your vices

and more…

They do it while they refer you to others. They do it while speaking to friends or business associates who consider buying form you to help them make a decision. Or perhaps they are trying to discourage them from doing any business with you.

Your clients talk about you, fact. Do you influence what they say?

Do you constantly challenge them with your knowledge or advice?
Do you try to help them grow and improve their businesses, quality of their work (or their lives, depending what you do) and ask for nothing in return?
Do you give them so much value that they have nothing else to talk about?

Or do you just leave it to chance that they will talk well about you?

Here are some things you should consider doing to influence what they say:

1. Publish a regular newsletter with such an amazing advice that they will have no choice but talk about it

2. Start an exclusive club for your clients only

3. Organize monthly training sessions to help them to expand their knowledge and skills

4. Invite your clients to test new features of your software, or demo your new products, services

5. Run regular free coaching sessions

6. Create an eBook and distribute it to your clients only. Forbid them to pass it any further. This is an exclusive knowledge

Want to know the secret why any of these will work?

Because they are original and TEACH your clients something useful, for free.

Your clients don’t really care about what you wear or how you say things (I sometimes mispronounce words by the way. Quite normal thing for non-native speaker). However, unless you provide them with something else to talk about, that’s what they might discuss.

And, if you don’t believe me, read on, I have few examples for you:

Jeffrey Gitomer curses during live performances and sometimes in his writing too. But does any of thousands of his followers ever comment on his use of language? Or do they constantly talk about the insane value Jeffrey offers them every day?

Chris Brogan often posts ridiculous Tweets (I nearly unfollowed him myself after he tweeted that he needs to pee….seriously…). But does anyone really makes any comments about that? Or do they follow him because of the amazing advice he offers on his blog, newsletter, through his books and live performances? That’s also the reason why I didn’t unfollow him on Twitter in the end.

Both Jeffrey and Chris have earned their positions. They do so called questionable things, from the business point of view, and still, they win. There are thousands of people like them. But, position like theirs does not come easy, it is earned instead.

I am working hard to earn mine everyday, you?

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Some people say you should learn from your mistakes, others claim that you should do so from your successes. But, sometimes it’s just good to find things out by finding out what others did, what worked for them and what didn’t.

For that reason, I decided to share some of my personal experiences regarding starting a small business. None of these will sound like a revelation to an experienced business owner. However, if you are only starting out, these are the most important nuggets of information you should know about.

My Personal Advice for Those Starting a Small Business

1. Things take time in business, especially at the beginning

When you are starting a small business, you really want to get results fast. Unfortunately, in business, things work the other way round. Everything that involves other people, clients, prospects, vendors take a lot of time. Decisions are often made later than you’d want them to, there are delays in projects and even your prospects will take time to respond to your quote or a proposal.

This is a natural thing in business and you should assume this to happen.

2. People will let you down. 

Not only people will take their time when making a decision. They will also forget about you, ignore you, deliberately cause you trouble, make promises they don’t intend to keep and more. It sounds awful, I know but that’s how things are.

One of the things I learnt after starting my first business was to trust no one. Rely on yourself and look after yourself, because this is exactly what the others do as well.

3. Cashflow is king

Ignoring cash-flow was in fact my biggest mistake in business. I had the money on the account and didn’t pay attention to making any forecasts or predicting how my finances will look like in, say, three or six months.

Why is cash-flow important?

Because if you don’t know what you are standing on, and by that I mean how much money you have but also how much your upcoming projects are potentially worth, even a single unpaid invoice can mess things up for you.

Therefore, get into a habit of keeping track of your cash-flow. To make it easier, I developed a simple system to do so. You can download it for free here and read more on how to incorporate it into your work here.

4. Service the hell out of your first client  

When you are only starting a small business, you have no clients, no testimonials, no chance for referrals and usually, no budget for a big marketing campaign. Therefore, you need to work extra hard not only to earn your first client but also to get any of the above from them.

When you win your first client, service the hell out of them. This does not mean dropping prices, or giving away stuff for free. Instead, provide such an insanely great experience and service that they will want to talk about you, refer you and give you a testimonial.

Repeat that with every customer and your business should start growing naturally.

5. Your luck will keep on changing

That’s just how things are in business. One day everything works fine, you get new clients and everything is going smoothly, the next day you get a kick in the seat.

In business, just like in life, you will have ups and downs. There will be good times, with plenty of work, and slow times where you will not have much to do. Be prepared for both, and do not worry if you are in a low for a while. Just keep on going and things will turn out for the better anyway.

6. Don’t pretend you’re someone else 

One of the common mistakes people starting a small business make is pretending they are a bigger company. I know, I did the very same thing. The trouble is, with your lack of any experience, it is easy for prospects to see through this. They will know that you are cheating.

Believe me, as much as you might not like it, it is far better to be open about the fact that you are only starting out, than pretend that you have been in business for a long time. Many prospects will give you a credit for being a newcomer and might be more understanding if you make some mistakes along the way.

7. Stay small for as long as you can

When you are starting a small business, you usually hope for it to develop into a large company. These are usually associated with a bigger income for you, more luxurious lifestyle etc. However, they are also a huge commitment and usually the money are not corresponding to the amount of work you need to put in to make it happen.

Growing my business too fast was also a mistake I did, and the one I regretted the most. Once you scale up, it’s hard to shrink your business down. You can’t let go of people, or dissolve a business partnership you are in.

Stay small for as long as you can. Small means less overhead, less worry and usually, a higher income.

8. Always look ahead

These days, things change fast. In my industry for instance (SEO/Online Marketing) new developments can happen even on daily basis. The same is true for many other markets and therefore, if you want to stay in business, you need to look ahead. Don’t just copy your competition, come up with your own solutions and keep innovating.

Try to always ask yourself how your job/industry/profession will look like in 2 years time and get there faster.

Starting a small business is an amazing process, one that can give you a lot of excitement and purpose in life. However, this is also a time when things can go really bad, partially because you don’t have much experiences. When you are only starting a small business, it is easy to make basic mistakes. Some of them will be harmless, others might have serious consequences.

That’s why I wrote this post, to share the ones I did and tell you what to do and what to avoid. Use this advice and you should be fine with your new business.

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As always, your comments are most welcome.

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Before you ask, no, it’s nothing dramatic and we’re not closing down. However, there are changes coming to my company.

But before get to that, let me tell you what happened.

I love the name of my company, I loved it from the moment it came to me and even before I launched Smart Business Guides I knew that this will be the name I’ll use.

But, all this time I knew that there is someone who may have a taste for it too, the owner of the .com version of the domain.

They weren’t using the site back then and I gambled that they never will. I opened the company on a .net domain and that’s where it was ever since. But, I was wrong, I discovered that they are using the domain and, they sell the same stuff as me.

I am absolutely happy that they are using the domain. They are a great company and I have full respect for them. It was me who took a chance and, well, I was wrong.

As a result I will be changing my company’s name.

I don’t want to have two companies using almost the same domain, delivering similar goods and competing against one another. I worked hard for my brand but I am also happy to let it go to avoid confusion and stress that this situation might require.

This is the last call for me to do this. I am just about to embark on a massive PR campaign, which is now partially on hold until we find a new name. My new book is also coming out soon and I am also planning something exciting that I will be announcing vey soon. Doing it under the current name would mean that some time in the future this work might go to waste.

So, soon this company will change the name. And, this time I’m not taking chances.

What will be our new name? I don’t know. I am still thinking of it and to be frank, it’s going tough at the moment. I identify myself with Smart Business Guides and letting go is hard.

But we will get there.

In the meantime, the company will work as always. You can expect posts here on regular basis and our books are on sale all the time. But one day, when you type in our URL, you may find yourself redirected to a new domain.

It will still be us though.

What’s the lesson from it?

Take chances, don’t be afraid to take risks but be ready to accept the consequences. And be transparent about it.

Before I go

Let me clarify something. I haven’t been in touch with the other company. There is a big chance that they don’t even know that we exist. However, I respect the fact that they were the first ones to use the name (it’s not their trade name but still) and I move away to let them do their thing.

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I am sorry but I have been selling for far too long to believe in any external factors. If you work hard, on many levels, your sales happen. If you don’t, it’s your competition who wins, fact.

There is nothing wrong in not being able to sell, especially at first, when you only start a business. Sales is something you need to learn and master. It takes time but it’s not that difficult.

However, making the same sales mistakes over and over is more than wrong. This post outlines exactly those.

Before we go any further, this is a long post, probably too long for most of you to read. That’s too bad because the real secret to making more sales is hidden somewhere in this copy and I am not going to tell you where. I want you to find it yourself, use it and then thank me for changing your life forever.

Ready?

1. You don’t have a story

A boring sales guy is remembered for life but, he makes no sales. If you go to your sales presentation without a story, nothing unusual to tell the prospect then there’s no business for you, there, your reality check. You will end up sitting in front of your prospect either talking about yourself or trying to please them so much that they will think of one thing only, to get you the hell out through the door.

In order to make a sale you have to impress the prospect with your story, with something that will make you memorable but also likeable. Your story can be funny or tragic but it needs to have this something.

Think you don’t have a story? What about your vision and mission for your business? Are they not good enough?

2. You don’t have the guts to sell

If you go to a sales call hoping that the client will lead the meeting, then you don’t have the guts to sell, full stop.

But guess what, there are thousands of sales people in your industry or region, maybe even more. Only one of them will get the job though, guess which one…

If you want to be that guy you have to be the one that leads. You have to be the one that comes with IDEAS and SOLUTIONS where others just brag about themselves. You also have to be the one who controls the entire sales call. Remember, it is you who make the sale, not your prospect.

How to do it?

Ask smart questions and let your prospect talk. Come to the meeting with ideas, real life ones that are definitely going to help the prospect. Do not talk about yourself, instead introduce those ideas as early as possible. I can guarantee you that your prospect is more interested in them than in how many years you are in business.

3. You don’t practice communicating

When was the last time you stood in front of the mirror and practiced your presentation? When was the last time you rehearsed your lines, your power questions and your ideas? Never.

If you want to sell you have to learn to communicate your ideas. Enough said.

How to practice communicating? Join your local Toastmasters, you will learn everything you need to know there.

4. You do not invest in your branding

You love to judge your prospects, right? Their crappy business cards and website make you think how lousy they might be. Their office location or state of the art meeting room makes you think how great it will be to milk them.

But here is the thing, they do the same. They look at your website, promotional materials and the content of your email and make up their minds about you. They research you, check your Twitter and Facebook, they look at your profile pictures and all the crap you post there. Then they look for your blog …..

In fact, their mind about doing business with your is often made up before you come to the meeting. Think about it.

5. You try to be like the big boys

I see this one so often. Small business owners pretending they run a multinational firm or something even bigger. Their copy is bloated with big words, statements and all that corporate crap. Their email is two sentences long but the disclaimer below it is longer than the Chinese Wall. Their proposal has longer T&Cs than my mortgage contract and their image is, well you get the idea.

In reality it is dead easy to see through such disguise but the impression it makes is far from ideal. Sure, you might get some business this way but I can guarantee you that it will be out of pity.

6. You don’t focus enough

Ever given up after few attempts to make a sale? Sure you have! And most likely you went on to work on other aspects of your business, right?

Here is the thing, if you want to make sales, it has to be the only thing on your mind, full stop.

7. You write crap promo copy

Nothing will stop your sales tracks better than crappy introductory email sent to a prospect. No one is going to meet with you if they have no clue what you are talking about in your email or if it talks about you only.

The same goes for your website and other promotional materials.

Learn how to write great promo copy or hire someone to do it for you. You will see the difference in your sales.

8. You are not willing to leave your comfort zone

Selling is easy but, also demanding. If you want to make sales only by doing the things you love and avoiding all the stuff you hate (like speaking in public or cold calling or who knows what else) then good luck.

Sales is about doing all the things you don’t want to do and being great at them in order to be able to do the stuff you love later. Sorry, that’s just the way it is.

Want to make more sales? Leave your comfort zone and do things you would never think of doing before you went into business (sales calls included).

9. You do not believe in yourself

I bet you whine a lot about your sales.

“Whooo, I don’t know how to sell. I don’t like selling. I don’t want to be selling”.

Who cares? Want to run a business, sell. Don’t know how to do it, learn it. Don’t like it? Get used to it. Don’t want to? Sign up for the dole.

10. You are not original

I know that your competition is successful, well done to them. But you won’t make any sales by merely copying what they do. You have to be original and you have to be yourself. You have to stand out from your competition and show your prospects that in fact, you are better.

How to do this? Read the reason #1 above again.

11. You neglect the obvious

I have said it many times and I am going to say it again. If you are not going ahead with the times then you are bound to fail. These days selling is as much about social networking as it is about making phone calls or attending networking events.
If people expect you to be on Twitter or Facebook, be there. If they ask for your Youtube channel, have one. Don’t neglect the obvious stuff that you need to have.

Of course, you can break out. I did that with not using email and phone, sure. But my business model allows for that. Chances are it would not work out in yours. So make sure that you do all the stuff that people expect from you in your industry. Just do them better than your competition.

12. You don’t do the important stuff

Maybe you send a cold call email or two, follow up with few prospects but the bulk of your time goes for tweaking your system (if you have one), fiddling with that new CRM software or who knows what else.

Focus on the important stuff, finding prospects, getting in touch and presenting and you will see the sales happening like mad. Promise.

13. You are desperate to make sales

Many people I know, especially now, since the economy is still down are desperate for any sale. And you can tell straight away. They bargain their own price, they agree to anything the prospect says. They will even reveal their bank account details, just to make a sale.

If you are like them, I can guarantee you that the only sales you will make will be cheap jobs from chancers, who will probably never going to pay you anyway. Either way, you lose.

14. You are afraid to charge real money

On the other hand, maybe you are not desperate. You may just be scared to mention your real price and always give the lower one. Hey, the prospect sees through this and believe me, only a crook will do business with you. A good prospect will feel insecure by a business that undercharges itself.

Work out your price and stick to it. If you did all the math, then it is the right price you should be charging. The only thing left to do is to find the prospects who are willing to pay for the quality of your work.

15. You have no plan

Business is all about consistency and following your vision, trying to make it happen. So is selling. However, many small business owners do it when they have the time or when their sales are down. They have no plan. Actually, I bet that you have no plan. You don’t have a list of your top 50 prospects that you want to be doing business with and you are not going after them.

Wrong!

16. You do not learn new things

I mentioned this in the last post already. The only people who win in business are those who realize that you need to constantly learn new things and do not be afraid to invest into getting the best knowledge possible.

I don’t think that there’s anything left to add here.

17. You are in it for the wrong reasons

There is a rule of selling that I actually learned quite late in my selling career. In order to make sales you have to honestly believe and want to solve your prospects problems. Selling is not about you, your business, your great or lousy work or your family that wants to go on holidays. Selling is all about solving your prospects problems and until you start truly believing that you can do that, you will never make a sale. That’s it.

Selling is not a gift you have to be born with. It is not a skill you have to posses and cannot master. Quite the contrary. You can learn how to make more sales, you can learn how to deliver great presentations and get your prospects to sign on the dotted line and all of this knowledge is not a secret. I write about it in my book, “The Smart Business’ Guide to Winning New Work” and teach you exactly how to make sales.

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