Customer Acquisition in 2023

Something that comes up a lot in sales related conversations with clients and business owners is customer acquisition. Whatever the market conditions, I’d like to share some basics tips that will help you improve your customer acquisition.

1. Define your target customer: Knowing who you are trying to reach will help you tailor your marketing efforts and make them more effective.

2. Create a strong value proposition: This is the promise of value or benefit you make to your customers. Make sure it is clear, compelling, and differentiates you from your competitors.

3. Improve your website: Your website is often the first point of contact with potential customers. Make sure it is well-designed, easy to navigate via desktop or mobile, up to date and has clear calls to action.

4. Use social media: Social media platforms can be a great way to connect with potential customers and build brand awareness. Be active in sharing value.

5. Offer excellent customer service: Treating your customers well can help improve loyalty and encourage word-of-mouth referrals. Just do what you say you’ll do and that will wow most customers.

6. Experiment with different marketing channels: There are many ways to reach potential customers, including online advertising, email marketing, content marketing, and more. Try different channels to see what works best for your business.

Finally, think through the type of customer you want. You don’t want all customers. You want customers that understand the value of what you do, will promote you and make you feel better for having them onboard.

We’re here to help you on your business journey in 2023. Get in touch to discuss how we can help you have more fun, generate more profit and enjoy your business. andrew@knowanddo.com

Shared Prosperity Fund Management Support Session Announcement

Save the Date - 8th February 2023.

If you’re a Greater Manchester SME, you may be able to access this funded support session run by Know and Do. Connected to the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund this support is aimed at small businesses.

Know and Do are proud to support the work of the Business Growth Hub in Greater Manchester. We have worked with the BGH as a provider across a range of services to SMEs from coaching, consultancy, training around sales and marketing, and mentoring. We’ve delivered practical support to hundreds of SMEs that has helped them to understand and apply new knowledge to make a positive impact for them and their businesses.

As European Funds come to an end, the BGH with GMCA is trialling a new shared prosperity fund that is offering additional support for managers and leaders in what are undoubtedly turbulent times for many. The first pilot phase will offer 120 places of 3 hours of fully funded support for business owners and leaders to explore how they are managing their response to the current cost of living crisis, rising business costs on many levels, and planning for growth.

Know and Do are offering a new group session, working with 8-12 businesses to understand, support, learn, and connect the businesses to help them confidently navigate this turbulent business landscape in 2023. The session will run on the 8th of February from 9.30am-12.30pm.

Places are going fast as businesses sign up to discuss, reflect, network, and plan new approaches to their work. We’d love to have you join us for this new event. Applying is simple and Know and Do can do the 1-page application for you. To secure your spot now, get in touch with us as soon as possible.

To apply, get in touch with Andrew via andrew@knowanddo.com or call the office on 0161 2804567.

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Success Formula Video Viewpoint

Our co-founder, Andrew Ramwell, was asked by MMC Learning to share Jack Canfield’s Success Formula. You can watch Andrew explain EVENT + RESPONSE = OUTCOME in this 5 minute video.

Andrew uses E+R=O with clients to examine their expectations and improve results. The psychology behind the formula means it is an important technique leaders can learn to better manage disruption, unexpected circumstances or challenging situations.

If you want to discuss the contents of the video with Andrew further, contact him direct on 07507 327993 / andrew@knowanddo.com.

MMC Learning is an internationally connected business that delivers online marketing and management qualifications. They are accredited as a CMI and CIM study centre and operate in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University.

What's the difference between a Sales person and a Sales professional?

When I started my first proper sales job, I worked for two brothers who I thought were natural born sales people. They looked like what I thought sales people looked like, they dressed like sales people and drove top of the range cars. As a young 19 year old, they were everything I thought sales was. How wrong was I.

They inducted us into the company with a 6 week sales programme they co-wrote. This covered all the basics and some advanced areas of the sales process. We had theory, role plays, practice calls, we shadowed on real appointments and we had written tests at the end of every week. Looking back on this, it was impressive stuff but I had little to compare it against at the time. I built an impressive folder of sales material during that time.

I soon began to realise that the reason they seemed like natural sales people was because they were so well versed in their craft it came naturally to them. The best professionals in any field make their skill set look natural because they practice and develop their skills. They always had a book they were reading or listening to. They had tapes of courses on selling and were often meeting other sales professionals to swop ideas and learn more. They kept journals and notes on what worked. Crucially, they also loved sales. They loved the thrill of a good sale and couldn’t abide a dodgy sale.

Sales was an honest profession and done right it was a wonderful thing. Selling was a long term approach. I soon began to see and meet plenty of what I term ‘a sales person’. This is someone who is only interested in making a sale to gain commission. They’ll sell anyone anything, as long as it makes them a pound or two. They are in the churn and burn game. Sell quick and move on to the next mark. They learn the skill or script that makes them convert a high pressure sale and have no real care or concern about the customer.

The difference between a sales person and a sales professional is the attitude, training, values, and a love of serving customers over the long term.

The difference between a sales person and a sales professional is the attitude, training, values, and a love of serving customers over the long term. A sales person is the reason why sales has a negative image in many people’s eyes, as they know someone who has been ripped off and left high and dry by unscrupulous sales tactics. So when it comes to sales - aim to be a sales professional in order to serve your customers in the best way possible.

Start with an assessment of your sales skills, sales knowledge and how you can develop these to ensure that you are recognised for your skills. Sales is made easier and more natural as you develop the right skills. There are so many great books, podcasts, courses and webinars nowadays on sales. There’s still some awful ones as well, but thankfully customer reviews and common sense will normally steer you in the right direction.

Your sales skills will help in all areas of life so get practicing. The best sales skills don’t stand for much if you don’t believe in the product or service you’re involved with . Find a product or service you love and aim to be a sales professional and you’ll have a great time working.

Know+Do run several sales courses to help people fall in love with sales done right. If you’d like to have a chat get in touch via andrew@knowanddo.com or fill in the form below. In the meantime, happy selling.

REFRESH YOUR SALES STRATEGY - new training programme.

This new online (4 x 3 hours) FULLY FUNDED* sales training programme will offer you an opportunity to take stock, review and where needed, reset your current sales approach and strategy. It’s been designed to help businesses build back post-pandemic.

Markets, trading conditions and approaches to marketing and sales have significantly changed in many sectors due to the global pandemic. As the world begins to look at re-opening, what does this now mean for your approach to sales?

The sales support programme will help to take a holistic look at the impact of the last 12-18 months and how to develop a refreshed sales approach to drive your business forward. You may have put in place an emergency solution to get you through the initial phases of the pandemic however, moving forward you might need to rethink and refresh your approach.

The online sessions will cover the following topic areas:

S1: REVIEW CURRENT BUSINESS OBJECTIVES

• What’s working and what needs to change?

• How to analyse your current marketplace?

• PESTEL + SWOT analysis
  

S2: SALES CYCLE FRAMEWORK AND CUSTOMER PROFILING

• The profitable 5 Steps sales process.

• Who is your ideal customer? Have you got too many bad customers?

• Brand positioning and value proposition. Where do you sit and fit?
  

S3: SALES SKILLS, PSYCHOLOGY AND SALES PROCESSES

• The 6 cylinders of selling model. Are you firing on all cylinders?

• Sales skills and objection handling. What skills do you need to work on?

• Sales person v sales professional. How do you develop a team of sales professionals?
  

S4: SALES MODELS, CLIENT REFERRALS AND SALES METRICS  

• Sales metrics; what matters? Where are you losing sales?

• Client referrals, testimonials and upsells. Adding value after you’ve done the hard work.

• Putting together your new sales strategy. Key actions and takeaways.

*We currently have some fully funded places on offer for Greater Manchester SME’s who employ 5 or more staff, T/O £100K+ and want growth. Get in touch andrew@knowanddo.com to see if you qualify. (NB. The funding is via the Business Growth Hub and they will confirm eligibility for the programme.)

WORKSHOP Dates for the 2021 fundED SALES programme are:

S1: July 7th    2pm-5pm

S2: July 14th   2pm-5pm

S3: July 21th   2pm-5pm

S4: July 28th 2pm-5pm

This sales programme is being delivered in partnership with the GC Business Growth Hub in Greater Manchester.

PLACES ARE LIMITED, SO IF THIS IS OF INTEREST COMPLETE THE FORM BELOW NOW OR CONTACT ANDREW@KNOWANDDO.COM OR CALL 0161 280 4567

Testimonials from previous attendees on our sales courses.

‘Lots of value. Very polished delivery and great for diving into questions.’

‘Fantastic event presented and delivered by someone who knows his stuff. It gives me a lot to think about going forward.’

‘Very worthwhile event, a great deal to be achieved and gained.’

Photo credit Isaac Smith on Unsplash