Month: September 2020

Do you have a great idea for your company or for a new business? It’s great to have a good or novel idea, but that’s only half of the overall battle. You also need to be able to sell it. It’s no good having a good idea if you are the only one who thinks it’s a good idea. You also have to learn how to persuade others to think in the same way you do. In a very real sense, you have to be able to sell your ideas if you want them to go anywhere.

To make your ideas work, you’ll have to get multiple people on the same page as yourself. This could be more challenging than you may think. Not only will you need to outline your idea, but you’ll have to cast a vision for why it’s good or necessary. It’s critical to be able to explain how your idea fleshes out long-term, not just how it will work in the initial stages.

Additionally, you have to establish yourself as someone who knows what they are talking about. You can have a great idea, but it’s worthless if people don’t believe that you have credibility in the field. Don’t be afraid to mention your education and experience as well as be ready to provide evidence that establishes your right to speak about the subject matter.

Finally, be willing to listen to feedback, questions and criticism about your idea. Be open to continuing to develop your thoughts about it and adjusting things that don’t work. There is no such thing as a perfect idea, but there is such thing as a good idea that gets even better with continual development.

If you have a good idea, don’t just shout it to the world and expect amazing things to happen. Treat your idea with care, taking steps to make sure your voice is heard by the right people. Persuasion and persistence are key factors in getting a good idea off the ground and running.

By Meagan Kerlin for Vertu Marketing LLC

It’s more evident than ever that we’re living in an unpredictable world. Things can change from one day to the next, making it difficult to make decisions that will propel you forward. How can you feel certain about the decisions you’re making in an uncertain world?

Unfortunately, it’s impossible to know exactly how your decisions will play out. There is no guarantee your choices will turn out like you hoped, but there are things you can do to make sure your decisions are as successful as reasonably possible. One of these may include refraining from thinking about decisions from a black-and-white perspective. There is likely no perfect choice, and there may not even be a right or wrong choice.

Instead of thinking of making decisions in this way, consider your choices from the perspective of where you want to go. Decide based on what is most likely to move you in the right direction. You don’t have to strive for perfect choices, just try and make smart ones. If you are a little afraid because of poor decisions in the past, allow that to make you smarter and stronger. You’re just trying to go the right way – not achieve a fictional level of perfection.

It may feel more difficult than ever to make decisions right now, especially ones that could have a long-term impact. The world has changed significantly this year, and everything may feel harder or even impossible. If you are faced with tough decisions in a time of such uncertainty, know that you aren’t alone. No one knows what the next month will look like, yet alone the next year.

There is so much you cannot control, but you do have the ability to make choices based on the information you have and the direction you want to go. Let go of your desire for certainty and perfect choices, and know that if you do make a choice that doesn’t work out, you can pick up the pieces, learn from it and try again.

By Meagan Kerlin for Vertu Marketing LLC

One of the most important aspects of succeeding in sales is to make positive connections with customers. Typically, making a connection takes more than one point of contact, which means a follow-up email could be crucial to making the sale. You’ve talked to your prospect once, and you may think the ball is in his or her court, but in reality, it’s really in yours. What you do next could make the difference between closing the sale or losing it completely.

It’s crucial to master the art of the follow-up email. This is one of the most effective ways to make another contact with your client or customer, so it’s important to do it well. In addition to fostering the connection made with a client, it also establishes a sense of trust. It’s important to do this personally, refraining from using a form letter. Touch on things you spoke about the first time, and avoid using pushy or aggressive language.

This provides you the opportunity to continue to the conversation you started the first time. A well-drafted follow-up email can be the first step in establishing loyalty between your company and the client. As you converse, you can learn more about how you can meet the needs of your prospect, what he or she is looking for, and how you can improve.

In most cases, a prospective customer or client will not follow up without prompting. It is your job to make the sale, not your prospect’s responsibility. If you want to close, you have to perfect the art of the follow-up email. You can start practicing by reaching out to those you haven’t contacted in awhile or those you haven’t reached out to a second time. Your follow-up email may be the small effort that creates a loyal customer-company relationship that lasts for years.

By Meagan Kerlin for Vertu Marketing LLC

It’s normal to feel scared from time to time. Various fears or an overall sense of anxiety may keep you from moving forward with chasing your next career goal or pursing a dream. You may not even know what it is specifically that you are afraid of – you just know that something is holding you back. It’s important to face your fears, but first you have to name your fears if you ever want to overcome them.

Many people would say they are afraid to fail, but this may be an overgeneralization. Maybe you are afraid to fail, but your real fear may lie in a fear of letting yourself down or perhaps your family, friends or business mentor. You might think you’re afraid of losing money, but self-evaluation may prove that what you’re actually afraid of is having to ask for help.

When considering how you can overcome your fears, you have to dig deep. Ask yourself the hard questions that will get you to the root of what you fear. If you don’t know what you are actually afraid of, you’ll never be able to overcome it. Naming fears brings awareness to the problem, allowing you to be intentional about working through them. Practicing awareness is often the first step toward moving past whatever it is that’s holding you back.

After naming your fears, you will be aware of the times when you’re acting and reacting because of those deeply rooted fears. This awareness allows you to put in place specific practices that help you move past those fears. Practice and intention are keys to moving forward.

Operating out of a place of fear is no way to live your life. If you’ve allowed fear to have too much of a stronghold over your life, now is a great time to start figuring out what those fears really are and fighting to overcome them.

By Meagan Kerlin for Vertu Marketing LLC