The SalesPartners Florida Blog
Know your solutions, know your clients.
It's easy to lose track of opportunities. I planted my mixed variety pepper patch this year, and didnt keep good records. started with Bells and Pablanos on one end, and progressed in heat to Ghost and Scorpion on the other. But something got mixed up in the...
Business owner is not an expert of their business
A business owner can't be an expert at every function in their business. However, they do have to understand how all those pieces contribute to their success. I don't have to understand the biological assimilation of nitrogen and phosphorous by plant roots to read a...
Business is about solving problems.
Business is about solving problems. Problems are about pain. "Good" Branding, Marketing, and Sales generally means it's effective. But causing pain can be effective (at least for a little while). Ethical, sustainable Branding, Marketing, and Sales may cause some...
Are you actually delivering value?
Sometimes, you just let things rot in the field... I was taught early on there were three key skills in sales: prospecting, presenting, and closing. Most sales folk are naturally great at one, OK to mediocre at another, and mediocre to horrible at the third. I'm not a...
There will always be another mountain to climb.
We're still waking up in the 60's in Orlando, but the Easter season is upon us, Lenten fasts are lifted, and the first blooms of the garden are starting to open up. Spring has definitely sprung. We're also already 10 days into Quarter 2. And I'm not on track. Not...
Business doesn’t exist to close sales.
Contrary to what you may have heard, business owners are not sales people. Todays haul from the pepper patch. Now what to with it? Salsa. Mild, medium, and hot, and WTF. When the Scorpion and Ghost come in, I can make the GTFOH. But whatever we make, I have to do...
Educate what’s your process.
Is Copper Octanoate organic? Sounds like "chemical" fungicide... It's bright blue in the bottle. You definitely can't drink it. And yet is is organic. People won't always understand your processes. They may even say it's not meeting their idea of the results they...
Perfect time to harvest a sale.
It's ripe enough. When people try to force a sale before it's ready the results are never as sweet and, sometimes, downright bitter. But the opposite can also be true. You can let things get over-ripe. If you're dealing on a small scale, you may be able to wait until...
Weeds choke out your opportunities.
Weeds choke out your opportunities. All those distractions that keep you from following up like you should. A lot of times you just try to cut them out. But they come back. It's not always easy, and sometimes not even possible, but whenever you can, it's best to go...
Exclude pests in your business.
Ugh. Competitors. Sneaking in and gobbling up your opportunities before you. Some competitors can be deterred just with maintaining good, healthy opportunities. Steady nurturing. Others, however, can get in and ruin things no matter how strong the relationship. We...
careful on other opportunities
I've got a problem. My first beefsteak tomato of the season grew up into the vine... It's ready to harvest, but will have to be done carefully, else I break off the stalk leading to several other developing fruit. This happens all the time in business. We jump on...
don’t focus on one campaign
Be aware of volunteer oportunities. Those opportunities that pop up while you're focused on one campaign. It seems a tomato seed got mixed in with the peppers, and I think this may in fact be the sturdiest looking tomato in the whole garden... On the other side of the...
It’s cultivation that laid the foundation for civilization to grow
Fishing is fun. But it's not a sustainable way to grow a business. Direct response marketing is a lot like fishing. Put some bait on a hook and see what's biting. But the fish aren't always biting. No matter what you do. And then sometimes all you can catch is...
Continue nurturing and protecting the opportunities
First fruits are exciting. Incredibly gratifying. They prove it's possible. That you can do it. They're hope, vindication, and satisfaction all rolled up in one. But whether it's the first squash and okra out of your garden, or that first sale that comes from a new...
Unsupported opportunities often rot before they’re ripe.
Sometimes your opportunities will outgrow the structures you have in place to support them. The opportunity itself may be able to adapt, but you will probably need to find some other way to support it. Unsupported opportunities often rot before they're ripe....