Most founders and entrepreneurs have their heads stuck so far up their you know what, to actually take the time to truly learn something from the young guns in their offices.

Another grose generalization, but the reality is that too many of the Gen-Xers who have started businesses 5+ years ago, are working their butts off and are not spending the time needed to lessen their loads by giving the young, up-and-coming executives the chance to really make a difference.

Here's my experience. I was sharing a glass of wine with Maikayla Desjardins, a Marketing Executive at Marketing Eye Atlanta yesterday and I asked the question, "why did you leave your job in New York and come and work for me in Atlanta?"

Her first response was: "You sold me on Atlanta as this awesome place to live - but let's face it, it's not quite New York!"

Gosh, if only I knew the secrets, my business would be double the size!

I received this direct mail piece in the post today (this is only a cropped version of the DM piece) and it really ignited something in me. We don't invest enough in sales training for consultants that are client facing and responsible for client acquisition.

Sales Coach Academy help businesses reinvent their sales team with a management workshop - perfect for your next sales meeting.

You and your team will learn:

What keeps you awake at night?

Some say a sales manager never sleeps. Constant questions seem to plague their minds - will I make that budget? How will I close this sale? Have I got the right team for the right job?

What if there was a way to help answer these questions? Some miracle program whereby sales managers no longer have to stress about the duties and targets of their entire sales team, but just focus on their own task at hand. A program which can change those plaguing questions from “Will I make that budget?” to “we will make that budget”

I received an email from the Sales Coach Academy, who provides a powerful and proven sales coaching program for sales managers. I was asked what are my biggest sales frustrations? What traits my ideal sales team would posses? And pretty much what keeps me awake at night?

The aim of the short survey is obviously to work out the needs of Sales Managers, what frustrates them and what concerns them most about their sales team. It provides questions that more or less allow you to vent your sales frustrations, so that the Sales Coach Academy can base their coaching programs around the areas of high interest to sales managers.

I strongly suggest you take the survey if you have been involved in the sales industry throughout your career – which most of us have! Perhaps we can finally get some answers to those questions that keep us awake at night!

http://www.salescoachacademy.com/sales-coach-academy-survey.html

Alison Lovatt, Marketing Eye.

75% of search engine traffic never scroll past the first page. Do you know what your bounce rate is?

31% of consumers browse online daily for products and services. That means, that potentially, they could be buying from your website.

If you have a website and are looking for quality leads, but it's a dog's breakfast... then now is time to take action. We are getting into the pointy end of the year and there is no time to spare to get your website right, to generate new fresh leads.

15 Years ago, I sat in the office of the then Silicon Graphics State Manager for Queensland, Mal Walker, and commenced a discussion with him to gain his support for the Information Technology and Telecommunications Awards. Basically, I needed a dollar value sponsorship for the privilege of Silicon Graphics presenting an award and gaining invaluable exposure in the IT industry.

He said, "So you have come here to sell to me!". I was mortified! I don't sell, I market! I was simply presenting an opportunity for Silicon Graphics to market themselves to the IT industry in Queensland and to gain profile. Then, my job was to ensure that they received the publicity and profile that is commensurate with their dollar value sponsorship.

With only days until the end of the financial year, in most companies, there is a sense of need to get more sales in to improve the yearly results.

If you are struggling to find ways in which to bring in 'last minute' sales and want a refresh - try some of these helpful tips.

1. Ring your entire client base and see what other services you can give them in this financial year so that they can achieve their business objectives.

Are you looking for a business turnaround? Is this time of year making you re-think what you have done in the past 12 months and what you intend to do in the next 12 months?

Has anyone ever said to you before "when the time is right, it's right"?

I have heard it a few times and I have to say, it's exactly that. I heard it, but I didn't 100% believe it. Is the time ever right?

In life, whether it's falling in love, buying a house, moving to the country, or going on a holiday - timing is typically everything.

Whereas in business, a lot of different areas need to fall into place for the timing to be right. For instance, if you want to expand, you have to have the right processes in place, finance in order, marketing strategy ready to go and people. For all of these things to be 100% in place is near impossible. Right? Wrong.

Thursday... not feeling well.
Friday... sick.
Saturday... sick.
Sunday... sick.

Now, why is this good for small business? On Thursday, it wasn't. On Friday, it wasn't, well, not until it was well and truly into the evening. Saturday and Sunday, it was.

When you are forced to STOP, it's impossible not to clear everything from your mind and get on with the job at hand, and that is getting well.

Meetings are missed, proposals are not sent, work is not completed. It really is a royal pain in the a***. BUT, this down time can be good for your small business. As a small business marketer, I try to absorb every possible item of advertising, marketing and public relations activity that crosses my path. There are millions of pieces day-in, day-out that I am confronted with. Of course, I don't take in everything, but I do try and absorb as much as possible and relate it back to the Marketing Eye client base.

Lost a client because you didn’t communicate properly?

Created chaos in your workplace because you were misunderstood?

Didn’t inspire people within your team the way that you needed to, to get the job done?

Have been told before that you could improve your communications skills?

CAN’T SELL ICE TO AN ESKIMO?

If the answer is YES, to any of these questions, then Communications Guru Michael Morgan is the man you can’t afford not to see.

SEMINARS ONLY – IN SYDNEY – IN NOVEMBER!

SATURDAY, 13 NOVEMBER, 2010 @ NORTHSIDE CONFERENCE CENTRE, CROWS NEST

FRIDAY, 19 NOVEMBER, 2010 @ LAKES BUSINESS PARK, LORD STREET, BOTANY

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Investment: $380 per person

Michael Morgan has more than 20 years experience working with the biggest businesses in Australia teaching communications and influencing skills.