Sales Management Information

10 Things to Help Your Business When Sales Are Slow During the Holidays


Twiddling your thumbs and waiting for some business to come in? Why not use this downtime to set yourself up for greater success in the new year? Here are my 10 picks, but you don't have to do them all. Even doing just one will get you another rung higher on your business ladder.

1. Evaluate your virtual team and make changes if necessary.

Are administrative tasks taking up most of your time and keeping you from working ON your business? Then hire a virtual assistant. (See my article on this topic at www.EzineQueen.com/everything.htm.) Are you paying too much in taxes? Meet with your accountant to talk about getting more aggressive with write-offs, or make appointments to interview new accountants. Same goes for your lawyer -- do you love him/her? If not, take this time to ask around for referrals.

2. Learn how to get more business via your Web site.

Would you like to be getting business leads and sales 24-7? Then look at how your Web site could be working better for you. For help in writing copy that sells, sign up for Red Hot Copywriter Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero's e-zine at www.Red-Hot-Copy.com. To get more targeted Web visitors, sign up for Marc Harty's free e-course at www.StrategicTraffic.com. It gave me tons of new ideas!

3. Revamp your e-zine or launch an e-zine.

Remember that having a ready list of warm prospects is your goldmine, and having an e-zine positions you for more sales on a regular basis and for the LONG-TERM. The beginning of the new year is the perfect time to release your first issue! If you're not publishing yet, get ready with all the great free resources at www.EzineQueen.com.

4. Clean out that e-mail inbox once and for all!

Unanswered e-mails, people to follow up with, information not recorded or filed in the proper places --- need I say more? Delete e-mails that are more than a few months old. Set up e-mail folders to help you stay more organized in the future. And if your program allows, set "rules" to automatically sort incoming e-mails into those folders.

5. Clean out your filing cabinet, bookshelf, desk, etc.

Is your office a fire hazard? Do you have to rustle through giant stacks of paper like a large rodent to find anything? Will your spouse not even enter the premises? Put on some good music, start digging, and make piles. Make sure to have plenty of trash bags and cardboard file boxes on hand. (And a good glass of wine always makes it more fun.)

6. Upgrade or clean up your computer.

Your computer probably holds most of the information that's crucial to your business, so take care of it! Now's a great time to do an overhaul. Upgrade your operating system (do you STILL have Windows 95?), get rid of unnecessary files, archive old files to CDs, add more disk space for all those downloads, and do system maintenance. Not sure how to go about this? Find a geek-for-hire to come and help you out.

7. Let your clients know how much you are thankful for their business.

Whether it's holiday cards or thank-you notes, this is a good practice for both your business and you. Letting the universe know you're grateful for what you have will only bring you better things in the future.

8. Plan an upcoming teleseminar.

For a quick cash-flow boost, plan a paid teleseminar! These phone-based events are easy to do and can be great income generators. Either host it yourself on a topic you're qualified to talk about, or invite a special guest to interview. To encourage holiday signups, offer special pricing for those who register before the new year. (Learn how to host a successful teleseminar at www.EzineQueen.com/teleseminar.htm)

9. Write down your 25 best accomplishments for this past year.

This simple exercise is extremely powerful. Time goes by so quickly that we forget to celebrate the good things that happen. First I light a candle and write down my 25 accomplishments. Then, taking each one in, I read them aloud. After the last one, I blow the candle out, and then IMMEDIATELY make a list of 10 goals for the new year. (After truly acknowledging all the amazing things you did this year, you'll feel incredibly powerful and set even higher goals!)

10. Actually enjoy the holidays!

Yes! I realized that for the past few years I've been running around like a nut every December and suddenly the next year is here. Christmas and New Year's blaze by like a freight train, and I'm back to the grind shortly thereafter. Where's the joy, peace, and love?

Remind yourself what the holidays are for -- to take a step back and appreciate what you have, to enjoy your family and friends, to give to others, and to be good to yourself. So take that walk in the snow, go to that tree lighting with your kids, get that massage, and plan a leisurely shopping day during the week.

Remember, we only have so many Christmases in a lifetime.

(c) 2003 Alexandria K. Brown

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alexandria K. Brown, "The E-zine Queen," is author of the award-winning manual, "Boost Business With Your Own E-zine." To learn more about her book and sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her site at http://EzineQueenTutorial.com/


MORE RESOURCES:

The Seven Deadly Sins of Sales Management
Business Review USA
Sales management expert John R. Treace reveals the most common--and deadly--mistakes sales executives make and gives tips on how to avoid them I have been part of many business turnarounds in my career, and in all situations I have noted the errors ...



Online sales management company One Click moves into new Greenwood HQ
Indianapolis Star
Angie and Randy Stocklin provide marketing and management for websites selling 50000 items, including fedoras. / Bruce C. Smith / The Star Only a few years ago, Randy and Angie Stocklin were selling sunglasses from a website out of their Greenwood home ...

and more »


bTrade Hires New Sales Management Executive
Virtual-Strategy Magazine
bTrade LLC, a leading developer of secure and managed file transfer technology solutions, has named Brooks Hoppe to its sales management team. Hoppe will focus on growing the company's footprint through direct, indirect and partner channels, ...

and more »


Sales Management Software Drives Success
TV News Check
Matrix Solutions CEO DJ Cavanaugh spells out the four key benefits of using CRM and sales management software. "The organizational benefits are wide-ranging and directly add value to any company's short- to long-term profit and competitive goals," he ...



China, HK, Macao, Dealership Agreed by Italian Yachtbuilder
MarineLink
... agreement for China, Hong Kong and Macao with Xiamen Smart Hero Yacht Co Ltd, one of the Smart Hero (HK) Investment Development Group's subsidiaries, specialised in sales, management and maintenance of yachts, as well as in yacht club activities.



Sales Management Award Finalists Demonstrate Excellence in Building and ...
PR Web (press release)
This award recognizes excellence in sales management, and team development. Excellence may be exhibited in internal team development, hiring, recruiting, cross-functional development, retention, leadership development, motivation, sales & business ...

and more »


Mark Andy Announces Two Senior Management Appointments
Packaging Europe
Mark Andy, Inc. has announced the promotion of two established figures to lead the company's sales management initiatives worldwide. Steve Schulte has been promoted to Vice President Sales & Marketing, and Mike Russell has been promoted to ...

and more »


Company offers fractional ownership of private jets
Vancouver Sun
The new jet sales, management and charter company was created by a partnership between Ledcor's Opus Aviation of Vancouver and Morning-star Partners of Edmonton. Ledcor is investing in Morningstar Partners to create Aurora, which will manage more than ...

and more »


Time to Get a Better Class of Sales Management Tools for the Channel
Channel Insider
Instead of making gut decisions based on spreadsheet data that may be prone to errors, there is a class of new sales management applications that leverage advanced analytics tools to allow managers to not only analyze the effectiveness of the way sales ...



The Drum

AAF International introduces new sales management system
The Drum
AAF International, a provider of air filtration systems, has introduced a new sales management system devised by AYO Media. The bespoke quotation system is designed to support its power and industrial arm in the UK and US which supplies the likes of ...


Google News

Mommy Home Jobs | Mommy Matters | index | site map
Copyright © MommyHomeJobs.com