How is your pipeline structured?
I assume most of you have heard about the sales pipeline. Your pipeline is what keeps your business going. It is a lot like a funnel: at the large end, you need to do lots of activities that will generate a slew of interested contacts; some of these move down the funnel and become coached; of these, a few get qualified, and even fewer go on to be selected and finally closed. Once you have a customer, the tendency is to spend your time at that end of the funnel fulfilling the work. When the job is done, you turn around and there is no more work waiting; you go back to the other end of the funnel and start all over.
The important lesson here is that you need to keep a balance within your pipeline so that you do not run out of clients at the end of the day. Have you ever been in a situation where you were working with one client that took up enormous amounts of your time and you had no time to do your marketing activities? And the client without warning cancelled the project and you were left without any work and nothing in the pipeline? This is the worst thing that can happen to a business. You should always have Plan B and Plan C and Plan D, etc., in the wings at all times.
There are several stages in the pipeline but you must remember to work on it to keep things flowing through. If you get a customer that tends to eat all your time, make sure the client understands that you must take one day or half a day every week to work on your own marketing efforts. You can suggest that they extend the project over a longer period of time so that your needs are also met. You will find that most clients want their project as a first priority and that you will need to schedule your time around your own marketing activities. The important thing to remember is that you must always fill the pipeline.
Your efforts to fill the pipeline while being tied up in other projects may seem difficult but you will find that a number of networking opportunities are either held early in the morning or in the evening. Some events are held at the lunch hour. Take advantage of this and set new client meetings around meal times. Don't let your business dry up; always work towards finding other relationships that can lead to future projects.
Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite. She decided to find the best ways to get people's attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the "Networking Queen". Blueprint for Networking Success: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprint for Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in 2005. For more information visit http://www.blueprintbooks.com
quick home cleaning Glenview ..Paper Shredding Business Opportunities are blossoming up everywhere because in... Read More
Many job applicants want a job but often do not... Read More
It has been discussed allowing Franchising companies to electronically disclose... Read More
You only have so much time in a day right?So... Read More
Do you have a Business Plan? Congratulations, but you are... Read More
Have you been searching for the perfect home-based business? I... Read More
I ran a franchise company for many years, a car... Read More
Franchising Corporations need to maintain an iron fist when it... Read More
When you awoke this morning, you found yourself buzzing with... Read More
Don't you find that there are so many decisions you... Read More
This morning, I went to take a short walk outside.... Read More
Do you sometimes find yourself just going "through the motions"... Read More
IntroductionIt is widely recognised that Email and the Internet is... Read More
There will come a time in your business where you... Read More
If you have ever had your antique shop or mall... Read More
One of the major complaints in the QSR Quick Service-Fast... Read More
What is a Virtual Assistant?A Virtual Assistant is a person... Read More
Many businesses offer small business franchise opportunities. There are many... Read More
Expanding your business requires you to take a good hard... Read More
Think the best way to get more customers is to... Read More
There is a rather famous true story called "Acres of... Read More
First, we need to define the different kinds of skip... Read More
Q: After years of dreaming about starting my own business,... Read More
Pressure washing companies must look for customers in the retail... Read More
If you interviewed business owners of failed businesses, a majority... Read More
scheduled maid service Winnetka ..Most smart entrepreneurs and all large corporations have Employee Relations... Read More
$elling $elling $ellingWhat makes a great sales person? Well, the... Read More
Many companies wish to expand and a few wish to... Read More
How often have you thumbed through a business opportunity magazine,... Read More
If you own a small business, then you know the... Read More
Are you a small business owner who wants to expand... Read More
Unfortunately for all buyers, each selling organization and their individual... Read More
Thankfully, most of us will never find out. That is... Read More
Anyone in business today realizes both the natural dependency on... Read More
When should you create a foundation in order to solidify... Read More
A lot of business owners I've spoken with lately have... Read More
Like most regulatory bodies in the United States, the Federal... Read More
The efficiency of debt collection is the difference between a... Read More
Expanding your business requires you to take a good hard... Read More
In these days of insecurity and uncertain futures, the tendency... Read More
KEEPING INTEREST HIGH: Supervision is key to the success of... Read More
The following tips have come from a wide variety of... Read More
Each day we hear of companies entering the franchising industry.... Read More
Last week's question from Anthony R. on how to choose... Read More
Would you rather have one good client paying you five... Read More
Small business owners can relieve a lot of their own... Read More
More sales and more profit. Isn't that what you want... Read More
I believe the number one reason why a business will... Read More
Business consulting opportunities might be just what your are looking... Read More
Marketing is one of the four corner-posts of a solid... Read More
Small Business |