The #1 Factor to Offline Success

Hi Ryan, unless you outsource some practice of your business - I think the biggest hurdle to people in the industry is, the capability to combine sales with a technical understanding, and a action taking profile.

The most brilliant sellers are typical not good techinicians and vice versa. So, the combination of all three competencies, shows your real potential to the on- and offline world.

I mean, if you master sales, have techinical understanding, can take action and set goals - so are quiet on the way to be a offline winner.

I think, that many talk a lot about how easy the offline marketing consulting business is, but it is not easy. It is deff. not for anyone. I dont see, so much hard competetion (yet) online now, as there is in offline consulting, but it might come.

Consulting is a hard and demanding task, and are not lazy friendly.

regards, LASSE

It's true Ryan, sales is a big part of this business, but for some reason everyone seems to want to find a way to take that aspect out of it. It seems as if everyone wants into the offline game, but wants to just make the money and never have to talk to or deal with selling a business on their serices.

You either have to sell yourself or hire a sales team, there really isn't any getting around it.

I agree that it's a lot to do with sales, particularly when you outsource most or all of the work.

Heck, I enjoy the selling and the consulting more than the hard graft involved in doing SEO, which I do indeed outsource (link building etc).

It also becomes project management, especially as you get more and more clients...

The keys to running an prosperous and successful business is surround yourself with others who's strengths are in the different areas or segments that it takes to run your business.

With that said, every business owner needs to be proficient in every aspect of their business so they know whats going on and if needed can fill in or take over any department at any given moment...

BUT!!!!

Your daily tasks should be playing to your strengths.

My strength lies in my ability to sell. I do it VERY well so I best serve my business by selling, and hiring people who's strengths lie in sales also. I should endeavor to clone my abilities in my sales force.

When I need to expand and bring other people on for different departments I need to know that the people I have put in place to be responsible for those departments do the same thing as new people are added.

I know I am kinda getting of the topic but I think its important to realize that we as business owners may wear many hats but we are truly only master of one maybe two hats, and those are the roles we should be filling so it serves the business well.

Yes without a sales force or a sales funnel, depending on your business model, your business is not a business and will shortly die.

I think sales is #1 because technical stuff can easily be outsourced for super cheap whereas the sales process takes a little more skill to outsource. You can outsource it all though if you know what you are doing.

I'm still working on the sales process to automate that. I know Liam Martin does a great job of that with his offline business.

He opened a call center in the philliphines; they used skype for us calls; got 4 leads an month per person and Liam had to shut down the operation in ONE day because the amount of leads coming in.

Now, that's powerful stuff!

I agree with every word you just said Andrew. Well put!

It's 100% true and I see that in my business when I build on my relationships with my clients / prospects, great things happen.

This is really simple. Offline clients have a problem. It's not that their website is not ranking. Its not that they don't have a Facebook Fanpage.It is usually that they want more customers. If you can show them how you can get them more customers you can close a lot of deal.

So, you probably have a few favorite niches to target then?

I've tried out a few already and I am in the middle of trying another.

I'm sure some are better to sell to than others based on your services you offer and pricing you expect to get.

I see your point and it's valid, but I'd prefer instead of referring to "sales" as the key factor I'd use "Marketing."

As Peter Drucker once said:

"Since the purpose of a business is to create a customer. The most important functions of a business are marketing and innovation. EVERYTHING else is just an expense." "The aim of MARKETING is to make SELLING superfluous."

I believe sales is important as said above.
If you don't have sales, you won't be in business very long.
However, you don't have to be a sales superstar either.

You have two ears, and one mouth. You should listen to your clients twice as much as you speak to them. When you just listen, the client will tell you how to close them. For example, they might say "I was looking at do more with my website" or "I would just like to be found by more customers"
Figure out what services you offer, and how they will fill those needs.
Then tell them about how your services will fill their needs.

It is only as difficult as you make it.

I think what Andrew was saying about relationships is solid gold here.

Sales and marketing are important in ANY business, but it seems with working in such a personal way with a business owner, you've got to talk to them! If not you, then somebody. However, in almost all my client getting efforts, it boiled down to actually talking to the business owner on the phone or face to face... talking about their problems, offering a solution, and getting a check.

The marketing side is just getting someone to raise their hand so you can talk to them. Then you have to determine if you can help them AND your relationship is a "Good" fit.

The only way I have found to do it is talk tot he business owner directly. But the payoff is a BIG check and helping move a business forward.

Question? For people with clients; do you maintain them all yourself such as customer support? Or do you have someone that handles them after you get them as a client.

As you get more clients, you have to spend more time with each one each month answering questions, sending reports, maintaining the relationship, etc.

An excellent question that is never asked.....


I actually do the backend customer service for my team and the teams of others. At first I did everything myself.

Forget about it.

I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.

Selling all day.... Making websites... free reports... presentations.... all night....

No Thanks.

What did I do? Outsource the sales process and make myself the Client Relations Department.

Why?

Because anyone can sell Offline Marketing. So hire them... let them do it. (Only after you have done it yourself, that way you know what they are going to run into. You know what they are thinking, and you know how they feel.)

Manage and motivate the team while I manage and upsell the clients.

Also... 80% of my business comes from 20% of my clients. So I like to be the eyes and ears they see after the sale. Initial sales is easy.... Maintaining them takes a little skill.

Ok...once you master the skills of Internet Marketing. It really boils down to branding yourself as a leader in your industry. Any small or large business are going to check out your LinkedIn Profile, ask to speak to other clients and want to see the work you have done for those other clients. You may have heard this also being called attraction marketing.
At this point in my career, people find me and I cherry pick who I work with. All of you can do this....

I too agree with your words Ryan that sales are contingent upon the attitude of the salesman not the attitude of the prospect.

Ok..... That was kind of weird.... I am glad you agree though.

I'm glad everyone is agreeing with me ha!

Anyway, I started having major success when I started taking action and quit playing with making my business cards and making a website.

That's the key. Take action and stick to your strategies that work.

I agree with Ryan that understanding sales is vitally important but I believe that there is something else even more important that holds people back (online or offline)... a executable system.

When I fist went into business for myself a dozen or so years ago I would get up in the morning and say to myself, "So, what am I going to do today to make more money?" It didn't take me too long to realize that, if I didn't know the answer before I got out of bed I was already in for trouble.

Every successful business, no matter whether they are a million dollar corporation or a $2000 per month single business person has a plan that he or she follows to get from point A to point Z. Without it you can be the best sales person in the world but your business is never going to reach the kind of success you dream about (the important word here is "dream").

Every weekend I sit down and evaluate my plan and see if there's room to improve it (based on prior business and/or new things that I've learned). If I can not see something significant, then I leave it alone and follow the plan throughout the week knowing which milestones I have to achieve each day -- prospecting, getting SCHEDULED work done, etc. Each day I have my schedule of goals that I have to get done in order to continually build. Each night, before I go to bed, I determine whether I spent my time wisely.

If not, I have to "work overtime" the next day to make up for my stupidity/laziness.

Of course, some of my weekly milestones within my schedule involves sales and everything said here is applicable.

But, do not fool yourself. I know a large number of very well educated salespeople starving right now because they do NOT know how to put together everything necessary to run their company. And, I know a lot of mediocre sales people who are making a killing.

If you do not have a weekly schedule of precisely what you are going to do each and every day in order to grow your business, you had better get used to continuing to do what you are doing now and for the same kind of money. Success will always be miles away.

I've been consulting small businesses for over 11 years now and that is the starting point for each and every one of them. The very first thing we do is sit down and create a plan or evaluate the one that they already have. Once refined, I then work with them to ensure they FOLLOW the plan. If, after a few weeks I see that they have no interest in doing what I know they should do, I cut them loose. They're never going to be successful and attempting to teach them is a waste of my time.

Creating a plan is simple. Having the dedication to follow it is another thing. Every morning get up and ask yourself one simple question... "Do I want this to work badly enough to devote myself to it?" If you hesitate saying, "Yes", go back to bed and when you get up go find the want ads. You need a job!