to , how an appointment is booked , how an appointment is confirmed , etc . But MORE important than that is checking for COMPLIANCE with those rules and scripts . Everyone likes to do the rah-rah team motivation stuff , but hardly anyone will do the auditing and enforcement piece .
2 . A Lack Of A COMPELLING Reason For A Prospect To Meet With You
The other day , I had a client who is desperately trying to break into a new market they said they have extensive experience and background in . I got on the phone to help assist in crafting their website copy and an offer to get them in and use throughout their marketing . When I asked them to give me a SINGLE ( not multiple ) reason for their defined prospect to meet with them , they came up empty . I tried a different angle : What are the top three biggest problems you can solve for your prospects ? Nothing … just vagueness . “ We make their systems stay up and running .” Geez . How about ONE problem you can solve ? Nothing . Okay , so tell me what you know about your competition and where they are failing ? Who are these clients already buying from ? No clue . Frustrated , I told them I could not help them and refunded their money . I can ’ t work with someone who is that clueless not only about their chosen target market , but also about what they bring to the table — then expects ME to somehow give them a magic pill to get customers to flood their doors waving checks . Look , this is Business 101 : Money goes to perceived value initially ( marketing ), then REAL value after they buy . If your prospect cannot instantly see how working with you will greatly benefit them , you need to go back and work harder on your value proposition . Further , a USP has to be in your DNA , not some tagline or sales letter I write . And YOU need to know your customers , market , and competition thoroughly . That is not my job , and it ’ s shameful for anyone calling themselves an entrepreneur to be and stay ignorant .
Bottom line : If your company and marketing are EASY to ignore , that should scare the crap out of you . It ’ s a recipe for frustration , low margins , slow to nonexistent growth , slow sales , and price resistance . Yes , I ’ m a great marketer , but that doesn ’ t mean I can wave my magic wand and pull a USP out of my butt for anyone who shows up on the doorstep .
3 . Failure To Build , Maintain , And Farm A List Of Qualified , Interested Prospects
Not having a good , productive list of prospects puts you at a MASSIVE disadvantage in new client acquisition . Not only is it harder to convert cold prospects , but it ’ s also more expensive and time-consuming . You also cannot know , with certainty , how your marketing will perform ( with a house list , you get to know your averages ). Further , you ’ re totally and completely flat-footed should you lose a major account or encounter some other sales disruption in your company because you have no pipeline of getting-ready-to-buy prospects . It ’ s much easier to maintain a relationship than to initiate one , yet I know of many businesses who ’ ve been in business for 10 , 20 , even 30-plus years and don ’ t have a list — and if they do , it ’ s some dusty old relic that hasn ’ t been touched in years ! Your list , and more specifically your RELATIONSHIP with your list , is the single biggest asset in your company — yet for most businesses , it ’ s awash with missing and incorrect information and ZERO systems in place to nurture the relationships .
4 . Lack Of Accountability For Anyone Or Anything Important
Roughly half the salespeople I interview tell me they weren ’ t given a quota . No quota ! How can this be ? It ’ s because someone dumber than a box of rocks hired them . Even more common is no accountability or coaching ; their managers didn ’ t monitor them in any way … just the two-part training of “ good luck and hang in there .” But it ’ s not just sales — ANY position in your company ought to have some accountability for hitting some metric , quota , number , percentage , or goal , INCLUDING YOU . You ( and your team ) cannot hit a goal you don ’ t have . Every sales rep in your organization needs to know 1 ) what their quota / goal is , 2 ) the minimum number of sales they need to bring in to keep their job , 3 ) backward numbers to specific daily and weekly activities they need to HIT their quota , and 4 ) the high-payoff activities they need to perform to maximize their time and productivity . Otherwise , you ’ ve got an army of the walking dead wandering around , hoping to sneak up on someone — but it ’ s YOUR brains they ’ ll eat .
5 . Lack Of A Numbers-Driven Marketing Plan
I ’ m not talking about a marketing schedule of promotions , tweets , posts , and newsletters . I ’ m talking about a specific GOAL for new clients , sales , profits or all of the above , worked down to the specific number of prospects you need to target to