EigenGraphs

Millions of people are getting their fashion fix from buying wholesale handbags online. They know that websites that offer wholesale handbags can give better prices. They also know that wholesale handbags also feature more variety than a typical boutique. After all, how can a small store display all the styles and colors? This is not a problem with wholesale handbags websites, which can show hundreds, even thousands of handbags, in ten different colors, and customizable prints as well.

So there is a huge market for wholesale handbags, making it one of the most viable website businesses that you can operate. But as anyone knows, the key to succeeding in this type of industry, especially one as competitive as wholesale handbags, is to get good suppliers. If you don’t have access to the best wholesale handbags providers then you can’t be competitive.

But now it’s even simpler for you. Everything you need to become a leader in the wholesale handbags industry is waiting for you! Some websites have done the hard work for you and created an extensive list of suppliers and developers so that you need not do the leg work for yourself! The internet holds the key to the most comprehensive database that you’ll ever find and perhaps this is the only thing you need to earn thousands of dollars from wholesale handbags.

Once you know all the right wholesale handbags suppliers then it’s very easy to set up your own wholesale handbags website. You can offer good prices, because the number of wholesale handbags contacts we give you can guarantee that you always have the option to find someone who can give you the price you want. You can offer variety, choosing from the different types of wholesale handbags so there will always be a design available for every personality, every price range, and every occasion. You can also offer instant gratification, by giving your customer access to handbags that may have sold out in ordinary boutiques. Yes, with hundreds of wholesale handbags suppliers to choose from, you’ll never have to turn away money because something is out of stock. Is one particular brand selling particularly well? Just call another wholesale handbags supplier and you’ve got them ready for your next customer.

There are other tips to a successful wholesale handbags website based business. First of all, make sure your content is easy to navigate. Divide your numerous wholesale handbags inventory into easy categories so visitors can easily find the wholesale handbags they want. Then, make sure you provide excellent service. Make it easy for visitors to contact you, and develop a delivery system that is reliable and easy to track. You should also have a feedback mechanism so you can continuously improve your business based on how your customers feel. And another thing to remember is search engine optimization. People can’t buy from you if they can’t find you, and so it pays to invest into content development and SEO services so that you’ll be part of the top 10 in a search. And then - armed with a good wholesale handbags inventory - you’ll see the money roll in.

For the best advice and tips for your wholesale business look no further than the www.handbags-1.com/ website. For free expert advice and insider secrets just check out the visitor.constantcontact.com/optin.jsp?m=1101251852075&ea= newsletter.

Managing sales leads to deliver results

So you’ve done the hard work and got a stream of qualified sales
leads - why does it all go wrong from here?

After much gnashing of teeth and hours spent justifying the
investment and calculating your required return on investment,
you have spent your hard-earned marketing money to generate a
stream of sales leads - whether telemarketing, exhibitions,
seminars, online or offline advertising, direct response
advertising or directory listings they all have one thing in
common, they are expensive and the investment has to be
justified.

Now you have your leads

Whatever the source, you are now the proud owner of a stream of
(hopefully) qualified sales leads, unfortunately our experience
is that this is just the beginning and on its own it does not
mean that this will automatically translate into sales.

A CRM system is key building block

Perhaps the most critical task you can do once you have got the
leads is to make sure that you capture all the information about
these leads onto a database in a way that is going to allow your
sales team to easily access and update this information and in a
way that is going to allow you to track and monitor the progress
of these leads as they are developed. This can be done using any
one of the many sophisticated CRM systems that are available or
by developing your own database. Now is not the place to
evaluate the various CRM systems that are available or to assess
the relative merits of using an off-the-shelf package vs. the
DIY approach, suffice to say that either way it must happen!

Many companies fall down on this - wasting time and money!

Unfortunately many companies appear to skip this key building
block in their sales management process and as a result they are
inefficient in following up leads and they lose visibility of
progress causing many expensive and hard won leads that could
have converted into business to be lost. This is nothing short
of a criminal waste of precious marketing resources but our
experience is that it happens all too often in organisations of
all shapes and sizes.

Not all leads are created equal

You must classify your leads depending upon their potential
worth to the business and your probability of winning the
business. If you do this you can allocate your resources and
prioritise accordingly. There is little point having your
expensive field sales people chasing up business that your desk
sales people could do or that you have little chance of winning.

Somebody has to be accountable for every lead

You can not fudge ownership of leads, this is where sales and
marketing teams come together and it is where they have to work
effectively to prevent potentially good leads going cold. In
cricketing parlance somebody has to shout “mine” and catch the
ball. To some degree it doesn’t really matter who does this as
long as somebody does and they take accountability Without this
clear accountability, the urgency in the follow up will be lost
as different team members look to each other and nothing gets
done!

As somebody once said …”I didn’t plan to fail but I failed
to plan”

For all leads you must have a contact plan that is appropriate
to the class of lead. Equally important is the ability of your
sales team to plan and prepare for the sales meeting or sales
call itself - the ability of your sales team to close the
business once in front of the prospect is another story!

Keep records so you know where you are

Every contact with a lead should be recorded on your database /
CRM system. The status of the lead should evolve throughout the
sales development process, accurate records must be kept.

This is in activity where most sales people singularly
fail!

By nature sales people are generally not good at administration,
they are too busy pushing on with the next prospect or out
meeting their existing customers - whatever the excuse this is
rubbish - you must hold them to account and make them update the
system otherwise you are flying blind and you are reliant upon
somebody’s memory which is all too frequently selective!

And finally, as somebody else once said …”you get what you
measure”

Never was a truer word spoken in sales. If you are to maximise
the return on your sales leads you must track and report
progress and hold people to account! It is unrealistic to expect
all leads to turn into business but we have to know that this is
not because we haven’t effectively managed that lead. Knowing
which leads converted and why and which leads didn’t convert and
why is precious information for future campaigns - record it,
nourish it and cherish it!

We are complex. We confidently assert that we are independent thinkers but then we can feel uncomfortable — even embarrassed - if we break out of “the norm.” However, in business the biggest rewards often go to people who are willing to be different.

One night, I was in a mall at suppertime. There were a dozen places to eat at the food court and the crowd was thin. Behind one counter, a middle-aged Oriental woman passionately took action to improve her odds of success. In thickly accented English, she crowed at every potential customer within ten feet, “Hi! Want try some?” as she tempted people with morsels of steaming, spicy chicken skewered on neon-colored toothpicks. Half of them pretended not to hear, deliberately looked away, and walked by. Those who looked saw her flash a proud smile. Nearly all of the lookers accepted their reward and about half of them bought something from her.

At the other places, employees cleaned or waited on customers, but mostly they leaned on the counters and watched the mall world drift by. It was a slow night. None of them offered samples or asked customers to buy. In the 20 minutes I watched, her eatery earned as much business — including mine — as all of the competition combined. She alone was passionately willing to do what they would not.

I looked at the 15 year old boy behind her counter and thought, “I hope you realize how lucky you are to learn so young what your Mama knows. Some adults take years to figure out the way to get ahead is simply to do what other people can’t or won’t do.”

Doug Smart is the co-author of the book, Sell Smarter. He is a sales consultant, professional speaker, and host of the daily motivational radio show, “Smarter by the Minute.” For more information, email Doug@GrowYourSales.org
Copyright 2005 by Doug Smart

This is an article about sales as much as it is about challenging the Grand Canyon. I have ventured into the belly of the world wonder seven times. Each time it has been a different experience. The experience of each journey is like a sales experience because, although the journey is similar, it is never the same. I have challenged the Grand Canyon in the heat of summer, cold of winter and beauty of spring and fall. The 21 mile, Rim to Rim, hike offers the greatest experience of what the canyon offers.

Prepare for the Toughest Journey of Your Life
The challenge of the Grand Canyon requires preparation for the worst. The journey must be mapped out and planned, for the best times of hiking in the day. It is critical that you save energy for the return hike out. In the heat of summer, the temperatures can rise beyond 120 degrees and inexperienced hikers die in the canyon. The canyon can be brutal. I know because, on my first trip in 1970, on the last mile stretch I felt like I wasn’t going to complete the journey. On my first journey I wasn’t prepared and did a lot of things wrong which impeded my rise through the challenges. Although, I finished the journey, I vowed never to experience the same problems again.

This has been the same for me in sales. Each time I start a sales adventure, I use my sales process and follow it like a map to success. The sales journey is always similar, but never the same. If I didn’t have my sales process, I could easily vanish in the canyon of lost sales and never come out. Preparing for each sales call is important and makes sense as it does in hiking. Keeping the sales objectives in focus helps us reach goals faster.

Hike With a Guide or Get Lost on the Trail
Hiking with a guide makes sense on the trail. It also makes sense using a guide or business coach in tough sales territory. If you aren’t familiar with the tough terrain of sales, you can get lost. A guide can show you where to go, what to see and how to get there. This analogy is most appropriate in new markets and business ventures.

Remember Accomplishment, for Inspiration
When you are hiking out of the Grand Canyon, you should never look up to see where you are going unless you want to become depressed. Instead, turn around and look to see where you have come from. This is true in sales as much as it is in hiking. There is a point on Bright Angel Trail when you are on the last mile where it becomes very depressing. The long winding trail seems like it will take forever. If you look back to view a wonder vista of colors, you also see the challenges you have already conquered. This perspective always inspires me to push forward.

It will do the same for you in sales. When you reach the point where there is so much to do, look at what you have accomplished. It will always refresh your soul. Because the sales process is a repeatable journey, you can use the successful experience from one sales adventure to inspire you for the next one.

Steve Martinez is a Sales Management Growth Strategist and Founder of Selling Magic. Ask for a “Sales Audit” and subscribe to his ezine to Increase sales with the best practices of sales management at http://www.sellingmagic.com.