Categories
Sales

Elijah vs. Ahab: A Dramatic Showdown in a Parched Land

In the last article, I wrote about being gentle in sales. In this article, I talk about the type of approach a lot of salespeople would much rather take.

“Call Fire Down and Consume…”

Elijah. A Prophet of God who bent in tender affection over the body of a little child. In this story, we see a very different side to this Prophet.

At this time in the story of the people of Isreal, there was drought. The grass was parched. (Probably people’s animal grazing had failed to allow the land to rest).

Just before the passage of scripture, I am reading King Ahab who was married to Jezabel, sent Obeddiah his man to search for grass for the chariot horses. Ahab also went out to look for grass.
Let’s see what a Bible story says, “But Jehovah had already said to Elija, “Go show thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.”‘ Page 276, (Part 14, Chapter 2, Through The Bible By Theodora Wilson Wilson. Published by Collins, 1961 Impression).

While he is out, the King finds the missing prophet his wicked wife hates dearly.
“And suddenly Obediah was walking over the hard, burnt ground, he looked up and saw Elijah….But when Ahab arrived and saw the Prophet for whom he had searched for so long, standing quietly waiting for him, his petulant anger rose.” (Page 277, T Wilson Wilson).

From here we launch into the demonstration of power from on high.
https://youtu.be/4lpQHPaTcKA?si=zCp_wbdMdyBE2GhX

Elijah, Prophet of God, Elijah and King Ahab, Bible stories of Elijah, Elijah and rain prophecy, Elijah’s demonstration of God’s power, Power from on high in Elijah’s story, Through the Bible by Theodora Wilson Wilson.

Let’s talk about sales. Demonstrations of effectiveness seems to be the best plan to get a result. But it’s not always that easy.

Sometimes people are not on board with the need. This this Bible story, the Prophets of Baal were certainly not in agreement that they needed to heed the God of Isreal.

Categories
Digital Marketing Small Business Marketing, Sales, CRM Sales

Sales Question: Are you raining? (Is it gentle?)

Sales Question: Are you raining? (And is it gentle?)
The role of rain on a farm is to keep plants growing, just fast enough to allow the growers to harvest, in just the right spots so that haymakers and other harvest activities are not impeded.

The role of rain on a farm is to keep plants growing, just fast enough to allow the growers to harvest, in just the right spots so that haymakers and other harvest activities are not impeded.

And oh, by the way, if the soil is not able to absorb much rain, the role of the rain is to not dump too much moisture so as to cause a flood.

It reminds me of a brilliant opening to a speech I heard about the neighbours on Saturday morning. Apparently, they all started their mowers at the same time, around 10 am.

But then it was revealed that this was only a wish from the author of the speech. The reality was different.

As business owners stare down the future of 2023 we need to realise that the headlines in the newspapers or news sites don’t have to dictate our 2023 reality.

Here is an interesting article by Rachael Kelly. It is about the sudden drop off in rain in Southland. It features a LinkedIn connection of mine, Donald Martin, an agronomist, and owner of GrassCo.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/131067578/southlands-recordbreaking-summer-set-to-continue-but-when-do-we-call-it-a-drought?

My role at #Pinnacle&Co is to connect people and ideas together. When business decision-makers discover what we can do, they can see a future they have influence over.

Categories
Uncategorized

Marketing vs Sales

What is my role at Pinnacle&Co?

I’m selling. The office in Christchurch does marketing, and without their marketing, I can’t sell as effectively. 

As far as taking our own marketing advice is concerned, Pinnacle&Co. follows our own advice, we do all of the below list, every month. 

  • Organic Search Optimise our site for our target market
  • Detailed contact records in a customer relationship management plan*
  • Monthly emails to our database
  • Lead with value
  • Keep our sign writing moving on a vehicle
  • Promotional products

And in addition, I do outreach for Pinnacle&Co. It’s an element of selling.

Categories
Sales

Powerful Approach To Strike Gold

I approached a business that was facing a sales challenge caused by delayed decisions.

The delayed decisions resulted in poor sales. I found a way to help them make a decision to solve that problem. We’ve been able to do a similar type of work in another location, with another similar business.

As a result, another town will see the fruit of the Pinnacle&Co. approach to speed up sales.

Image by Bernd Hildebrandt from Pixabay

Categories
Digital Marketing Small Business Sales

How can I drive people to my site immediately?

So you have a website, or you are planning a website, but you don’t know how to drive eyeballs to your site immediately? This article may help you decide if a website promotion plan is a good idea for you.

Offline Ways To Drive People To Your Website Now

Owning a website is not free. I’ll explain why I sad it is not really free, even if you didn’t pay an upfront cost. There is always a cost of time even if not a cost involving money. So it is important that people are going to see the right information for them to engage with the content or services you offer.

Here is a list of possible ways to let people know you have a website.

  • Business cards – place your website address on your cards
  • With orders – place website address on the cards or coloured paper slips you place with orders
  • Digital signatures on emails – place your website address on emails
  • Building signage – place your website address on building signage
  • Vehicle signage – place your website address on vehicle signage
  • Mobile or moveable – place your website address on moveable signage
  • Billboards – place your website address on billboard signage
  • Product packaging – place your website address on product packaging
  • Social Media profiles – place your website address on social sites
  • Promotional leaflets – place your website address on leaflets
  • Promotional fliers – place your website address on fliers
  • Corporate folders – place your website address on folders

This list is incomplete. Please let me know what I have not mentioned, and where you are currently promoting your website address.

Oh, here is one more variation of an item on the list. Do you remember what Hubbards Cereals do here in New Zealand? I wrote an article about a depressed business owner who got inspired, and in it, I mention Hubbards Cereals, briefly.

The Most Powerful Way To Drive Eyeballs To Websites

Emails. Or more specifically, links to your site in emails you send to people who may be interested in your website.

Ok. I have to confess, I am not the best at being consistent with sending emails. But I do have a too to help me. Aweber. (Thanks be to God for Tom Kulzer who founded Aweber, and for Sean D’Souza who told me about it).

The software company, Aweber have put together a PDF document about how to grow your business with email marketing.

I recommend you go to this link and get it for yourself. https://www.aweber.com/grow-your-business.htm?id=288437

We have been using email to drive sales to our business for years. Many of our Coconut Oil Shop customers only buy every 3 years! It’s easy to be forgotten in that time if you are not using one of the tips listed above.

And what if you have new products? How will people know if you don’t tell them. That is why we use email. And yes, it is more powerful than Social Media. In a future article, I will tell you why.

What to write in your emails
Categories
Marketing, Sales, CRM

How To Get Support For Faster Sales (Load Faster)

How To Get Support For Faster Sales (Load Faster)

About gaining faster sales.

See this luge on a concrete structure, in 2015? It looks great.

But I wonder if those participants could “load faster” these days, in 2021 and beyond. Let’s look at how that idea applies to filling our sales quota to support our bank accounts.

How many business managers and business owners want to load sales faster? Speed up sales? But they are supporting sales with a 5+-year-old website?

Those who don’t luge may think this image looks pretty swish, but someone who does may say to themselves, “those suits look so 2015!”

Business owners in the South Island. I’m talking to you, as a business owner, as a marketing professional. Your website may not be your priority right now.

But could you please pass this article on to someone who is looking to fill their sales quota faster?

Here is a word to website managers and owners. Does your website built in 2010-2017 look tired on the outside? Perhaps you are not sure. Perhaps you think it looks great. What I know from personal experience is that without consistent effort, it will out of date on the backend, for sure.

An updated website can load fast, so can your sales quota fill up fast, with up to date website programming. Contact me today.

I own my business and managing my own blocks of clients with customer relationship management software, and an online shop. In addition to this, for the sheer joy of it all, I am in contact with business owners in the South Island, every week, to help them fill their sales and build relationships with their database. I am a BDM at Pinnacle&Co. #marketing #sales #crm

Contact me now. Let’s chat about what you can do to load sales faster, which may include upgrading your website.

“Movement study of a skeleton driver” by Groman123 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Categories
Digital Marketing Small Business

I Am So Excited! A Depressed Business Owner Inspired

Depressed Business Owner inspired to start a YouTube Channel

I took a call from a Depressed Business Owner. Things are not going according to plan. This is what I said, “People will love watching you make your product. Make a YouTube.com channel.”

Then I said, “Go to YouTube.com. Find the Goat Milk Soap New Zealand channel. That is mine.” I pointed out a video that took seconds to set up, and seconds to record and has 900+ views. No wait made that 9,364 views as of September 8th 2021…

The Depressed Business Owner was immediately inspired.

Here are some of the reasons why physical product producers can be inspired. They have multiple launch pads. They can create income diversity.

Income Diversity for Depressed Business Owner


If you have a box being sent to multiple locations, you have a launching pad for other income streams.

Harley Davidson makes more money from “Merchandise than motorbikes.

Your sole income source is wrapped up in the sale of a box of items.

But if the box created an opportunity for people to look online at other things, which you sell, it could create another income for you.

Broadcasting everyday life, and commentary entertains and engages your customers

Hubbards Cereals place a newsletter into their boxes. They are broadcasting a message they want to be spread, by placing it in the box.

What if that message had a link to a YouTube channel or Instagram, and from there people can purchase other things?

There are multiple T-Shirt and other merchandise providers out there. Each of them has their own market place. People can purchase your short, for example, directly, and you can arrange to be paid by the T-Short shop.

Everything takes work. But income doesn’t often get delivered without effort.

Categories
OnlineShop

Wasted time! Supplier ordering Xero.com tip

Figure out how the accounting software tracks progress.

Help! I go to the supplier contact record in Xero, and I see heaps of Purchase Orders before I see the bills from them. How am I supposed to figure out if the order I placed has been accepted and billed to me?

Today I discovered that my lack of follow-through is causing the system to fail me.

Successful businesses are only as good as their weakest link, and here I have found a weak link, and it isn’t the software’s fault, unfortunately, it is my fault.

Categories
OnlineShop

Fulfilling Orders Tip 1

Help! I am fulfilling orders. But, in this case I have the supplier invoice, the product description, but I don’t know which order it relates to!

Tip 1. Garbage in, garbage out. Even Zapier.com may not be able to fix this one, because Zapier.com or its equivalent is not the saviour of every problem we create.

I need to make sure I write the correct information in the correct place so that it comes out at the location where I will search for it.

It is all about designing, and sticking to the design if it works, and redesigning the data entry if it does not.