The Customer Approved Small Business: Success Secrets For Developing Your Small Business

by Schell, Michael

• ISBN13: 9780973167535
• ISBN10: 097316753X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-12-30
• Publisher: Approved Pubns

Table of Contents

Gratitude	i
Foreword	iii
Introduction	v
About This Book	vii
PART 1 Foundation	1	(16)
Develop an operations manual	3	(4)
Hire self-starters who fit your team	7	(3)
Find the right people for outside sales	10	(1)
Keep only the right people on your team	11	(2)
Develop an employee manual	13	(1)
Create a job description for each position	14	(1)
Write a proper business plan	15	(2)
PART 2 Developing New Business	17	(82)
Getting your prospect database in order	20	(5)
Don't call the contacts in your database until you've read and customized Secrets 10-14	25	(1)
Create an Industry-Specific Positioning Statement	26	(4)
Design a Primary Reason Statement	30	(1)
Create some Key Point Statements	31	(2)
The Permission-Based Cold Call Guide	33	(5)
Don't leave voice mail on cold calls	38	(2)
The 10-Minute Meeting	40	(3)
Customized business postcards	43	(3)
Don't meet with a buyer or decision-maker until you've completed Secrets 18-27!	46	(1)
Pre-meeting research	47	(3)
Create some Genuine Preemptive Objection Statements	50	(4)
Create some effective questions for your prospect meetings	54	(4)
Be ready for tough questions from your prospects	58	(3)
Create a Company Information Sheet	61	(2)
Use an Advance Meeting Agenda	63	(4)
Prepare a company overview	67	(2)
Leave your prospect with some crucial questions for other vendors	69	(3)
Provide references your prospects can contact	72	(3)
Create your meeting planner	75	(2)
End your meeting with a verbal key-point summary	77	(3)
Email your prospect a follow-up summary	80	(4)
For more sales, consider a strategic proposal	84	(8)
Closing: Keep it simple	92	(3)
Keep your customers happy	95	(4)
PART 3 Tying It All Together	99	(36)
Commit to a target date and confirm completion	101	(3)
Under-promise and over-deliver	104	(1)
Rehearse your important voice-mail messages	105	(3)
Record your role-plays to improve your communication skills	108	(1)
Identify and eliminate weak words and phrases	109	(1)
Understand the 80/20 Principle---and live it	110	(1)
Prioritize your task list	111	(1)
As a team, plan the work and work the plan	112	(2)
Have fun and be authentic	114	(2)
Position yourself as an expert	116	(2)
Schedule your prospecting calls daily	118	(2)
Key decisions: The two essential questions	120	(1)
Appreciate and recognize your staff	121	(1)
Keep your employees informed	122	(1)
Have clear goals---in writing	123	(3)
Don't ``reinvent the wheel''	126	(1)
Negotiate effectively	127	(3)
Beta-test, beta-test, beta-test	130	(1)
Hire specialists for crucial tasks	131	(1)
Thank-you notes: If you use them, here's the rule	132	(1)
Use role models to stay motivated	133	(2)
Some Final Thoughts	135	(2)
Resources for Small Business	137	(2)
Buyer Contributors	139	(6)
Index	145	(11)
About the Author	156	(1)
About the Research Director	156	(1)
About the Approved Series	157