Before we look at how to increase sales with positive thinking, ponder this: It’s human nature for the majority of us to always wait for the other shoe to drop or expect that things will not always have a positive outcome.

Increase Sales with Positive Thinking – Change Your Expectations

But what if we decided to change the way we think and start expecting positive results, rather than waiting for the sky to fall? If you’re ready to see how changing your way of thinking to positive rather than negative can affect your sales, keep reading.

When You Change Your Expectations, Miracles are Possible

When we choose to decide that it is more beneficial to expect good things to happen rather than negative, it can change our whole perspective. Instead of thinking I’ll never make that sale or land that new account, start thinking I’m going to close that sale and it’s going to lead to many more. Confidence gets results in business.

Let Go of Fear

The biggest thing that keeps us from striving for more and expecting the occasional miracle is fear. Fear is the number one reason why so many sales professionals stay in the same position for years. The fear of success or even of wanting more is one of the hardest things to overcome, but once you do so, you will find yourself reaching for goals that you once thought were unattainable. Never allow fear to stand between you and the future you see for yourself. The only way to achieve is to believe.

Choose to Expect Miracles

So many professionals have become stuck in their current situation because they refuse to expect miracles. The thing is, they happen all the time. When you consciously choose to expect miracles, you will begin to notice that they are happening, and not just to you. You hold the power to improve your current situation by simply choosing to expect the best. The raise you thought you would never receive may just happen – if you change how you think. That client that you thought was out of your league may just reach out, and choose you over someone else. The important thing is, you need to start expecting miracles, and you will soon begin to notice that they are possible.

Replace the Negative – In Life and Business to Increase Sales with Positive Thinking

Whether it is in your professional life or personal life, miracles happen all the time. The more open you are to receiving them, the more likely you are to begin receiving them. It all comes down to how you think and the type of attitude you have. If you live your life constantly expecting the worst, that is likely what will happen. When you choose to change your expectations, you will begin to notice that there is more positive in the world than you ever thought. Living a positive life, both professional and personal, all depends on how you think. If you want to change your overall attitude, change your expectations. Life will become so much better when you do.

Get More #Business! Increase #Sales w/ Positive Thinking by @DebbieMrazek #RocksDigital #Motivation
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What will you do next to help cultivate a positive outlook? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments!

The post Get More Business – 3 Ways to Increase Sales with Positive Thinking appeared first on Rocks Digital.

A few years ago I wrote about being thinkful versus simply being thankful. And today it seems just as important to write about “Thinksgiving.”

As business owners, during this time of year we seem to shift our focus from serving our current customers to the strategies that will deliver new customers in the New Year.

While you definitely do need to focus on the coming year’s marketing initiatives and the products or services you’ll be offering, you absolutely cannot afford to neglect your current clients and projects!

Before moving to the tips, I have a confession to make. When I was about to hit publish on this article I realized I wrote about “Thinksgiving” last year. Oopsie! But It was centered around “Thinks” and “Giving”. Please give both of these a read. After all, It’s Thinksgiving. The more you grow, the better you’ll be at serving your current and future customers. 

Thinksgiving Tips to Show You Are Thinkful – and Thankful

T     Tools

Share your favorite tools with customers. Look for affordable alternatives that are priced for the budget of SMBs.

H    How-To

Now’s a great time to create or revise a “how-to” on a topic that pertains to customer interests. (And remember, people love infographics.)

I     Ideas

Share fresh ideas to help customers improve their bottom line. This could be a marketing strategy, or even a way to optimize efficiency.

N     Narrow

Examine your focus and if needed, narrow it to ensure that you stay on-target for your customers.

K     Knowledge

Beef up your knowledge base and create resources to help customers learn how to master complicated processes.

S     Support

Determine the areas where your customers need help in order to better serve and support their own customers.

G     Goals

Review internal and external goals with an eye on the customer perspective.

I     Integrate

Are there processes and procedures that could be integrated to save time and money? If so, integrate if possible!

V     Voice

Voice your thoughts. Reach out and literally let your customers know that you care.

I     Inspire

People power the business, so inspire them with a can-do, optimistic (yet realistic) attitude – and yes, with gratitude too.

N     Navigate

What’s your chosen destination? To navigate efficiently, chart the course carefully to reach the desired port-of-call.

G     Grow

Keep growing both personally and professionally! How? Continue to learn, to act, to respond and review. And remember, measure those outcomes….

 “Thinksgiving” Can Be a Winner for You and Your Customers

Being thinkful is only the start to growing your business, and your clients’ businesses as well. Now, it’s time to go celebrate Thinksgiving! Best wishes for a great feast and fellowship. And then – go do some thinking!

End the Year Right! #Thinksgiving Tips to Grow Your #Business by @LissaDuty #RocksDigital
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What are you going to do differently to help your clients wrap up their year? Share your thinkful thoughts in the comments below!

The post End the Year Right with these “Thinksgiving” Tips to Grow Your Business appeared first on Rocks Digital.

Has the amount of sales you close each month been in decline? If so, it may be time to consider changing your sales techniques. Change is never easy, and it can be somewhat of a terrifying thought; however, it may be just what you need to do in order to improve your overall sales numbers and business success.

It is very common that when we think that something isn’t working, it may be somewhat overwhelming to consider. But when you take your system apart, step-by-step, you might find all of the areas can be more productive, if they are simply changed. The changes may not be all that dramatic – but can make a dramatic difference on your bottom line!

Presenting the 6 Stages of Change to Help You Get Started

To determine if you need to make a change, take a careful assessment of your sales and look at what is and what is not working any longer. Be sure to take notes as you consider each of the below stages on what can be improved upon.

Stage 1 – Precontemplation – How to recognize you have a problem.

Think about and determine the risks of continuing to behave as you have been, meaning keep on doing things the way they have been done. You may think everything is fine and no change is needed. But pay attention to how others around you are having success.

Stage 2 – Contemplation – What can help you make a change?

Once you recognize a change needs to be made your first inclination might be why bother? Make a list of what the pros would be if you don’t change, and include the cons. Be honest with yourself – no one but you has to see this list.

Stage 3 – Preparation – Make a plan of action with a deadline for each step to be completed.

Think about how you have made successful changes in the past. Do you do better with small incremental changes, or do you just go to the deep end of the lake and dive in for the BIG change? It doesn’t matter – but do make goals – several small ones or one big one. Then make a list of things you need to do to accomplish each goal.

Stage 4 – Action – Take the necessary actions that you have laid out to implement the plan.

Reward your successes! What motivates you and moves you to action when you think about rewarding yourself? Take a day off, buy yourself a gift, two scoops of ice cream instead of one – make the reward something that will truly motivate YOU!!

Stage 5 – Maintain – Keep following through with your new techniques.

Be aware of what you are doing. If something works a few times and then one time it doesn’t, don’t go back to your original habit. Simply look at what didn’t work and tweak that, and continue to move forward to maintain your momentum. Do not stop rewarding yourself – money that you get for your efforts is great but that is not a reward. Always continue to motivate yourself with your own rewards.

Stage 6 – Relapse – Be aware of what triggers relapses and makes you want to go back to your old habits.

Do not kick yourself in the butt and be hard on yourself if your change takes a setback! Remind yourself what the goal was. Review exactly what you have done. Tweak where it didn’t work this time. Continue to move forward. If you feel like you need help, allow yourself to ask. Asking for help is a strength, not a weakness!

If this assessment process above seems overwhelming, you may want to bring in a sales coach to help you see what is and what isn’t working. It is also a great idea to have an outside professional take a look at your business. They may notice things you have not, and provide you with ideas on how you can improve your sales.

Take Control of Sales with the 6 Stages of Change

Once you determine what needs to be changed, it’s time to take action. Are you ready to get started and make the necessary changes needed to improve your sales?

Make sure that you have a clear and realistic time deadline in which these changes should take place. Having a deadline will keep you on track and ensure that you are following the steps needed to successfully implement the changes, and get your business back to being a productive and effective sales machine.

There is nothing like finding the things that need to be changed and taking the action to make it happen! That will help you insure more sales not just for today, but for a long time to come!

#Sales in decline? It is time for a change? @DebbieMrazek shares on #RocksDigital #Business
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Have you examined your sales process lately? Did you find any changes you need to make? How will you get started? Comment below.

The post Changing Your Approach to Increase Sales Success ­­– The 6 Stages of Change appeared first on Rocks Digital.

Image Credit: Statista

The graph shows an upward trend in online sales during the holidays, and this year is no exception. eMarketer anticipates that ecommerce sales will climb 15.8% this holiday season.

Drive Seasonal Sales with Inbound Marketing Tactics

The holidays are one of the busiest times of the year and drive the most number of sales for many retailers. If you run an ecommerce store, planning your marketing campaigns early is crucial.

Capturing more sales this holiday season starts with an inbound marketing strategy: Attracting prospects to your site via content creation. It’s one of the most cost-effective ways to increase brand awareness and drive more sales.

Four Inbound Marketing Tactics to Increase Ecommerce Sales this Holiday Season

1. Create Landing Pages Optimized For Holiday-Specific Keywords

Search engines are one of the first places that consumers turn to for product research. A survey of over 3,000 consumers found that 85% of respondents turned to Google for product research to help with their purchasing decisions.

Image Credit: MarketingCharts.com

Not surprisingly, the holidays see a huge spike in holiday-related keywords:

Image Credit: Roy Dopaishi

One way to capture more traffic early in the buying cycle is to create new landing pages and optimize them for holiday-specific keywords. These are pages that are specifically optimized around terms that consumers are searching for during the holiday season.

Some examples include:

• Deals
• Sales
• Discounts
• Black Friday
• Christmas gifts

Landing pages you create can then be promoted right on your homepage for even more visibility. Here’s an example from Best Buy, which is currently advertising deals on appliances:

Screen Capture: Roy Dopaishi

And here’s what that landing page looks like in Google:

Screen Capture: Roy Dopaishi

Someone searching for appliance deals is more likely to be enticed with this search result, as it’s more relevant and targeted to their search.

Think about your target keywords and add holiday-specific keywords. Then optimize your new landing pages to increase their visibility in the search results and capture shoppers looking for early deals. Another added benefit is that a holiday-specific landing page can be used as a landing page for paid campaigns on AdWords.

2. Publish In-Depth Shopping Guides

Content creation is at the very core of inbound marketing.

Each time you publish content, you create new opportunities for your target audience to discover your website online. Data from HubSpot found that companies that published 16 blog posts a month generated 3.5 times more traffic than those that only published a few posts.

Image Credit: Hubspot

Publishing more content on a regular basis also generated more leads than received by companies that didn’t. The same strategy can also be applied to attract targeted traffic and increase ecommerce sales.

Many shoppers turn to Google for gift ideas and recommendations. Shopping guides are a great way to showcase best-selling products and facilitate the holiday shopping process by putting everything together in one place. Once optimized they can drive more search engine traffic to your website, and even be promoted on other marketing channels.

The key though is to focus on quality. The best shopping guides are those that are well thought-out and are genuinely useful resources.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Make Curated Collections for Certain Themes

No matter how well you might know someone, it can still be difficult to pick out the perfect gift. Curated collections provide gift ideas for those who are still undecided about what to buy. These lists can also include bestsellers from the previous year, highlight employee picks, or even showcase customer favorites.

Here are some curated lists that Cosmopolitan has on its site:

Screen Capture: Roy Dopaishi

Publish Guides Based on Price

Guides you publish should also appeal to budget-conscious consumers. Publish guides that cover a range of budgets, such as under $25, under $50, etc. Amazon currently has a link for gifts under $10 on its homepage. Shoppers who click through are presented with a product collage of items they can learn more about and add to their shopping cart:

Screen Capture: Roy Dopaishi

Use Guest Curators

Does your brand regularly work with influencers? One thing you can do is publish a curated list of their favorite products. The endorsement also acts as a form of social proof, and is great for adding more credibility to your store.

Macy’s features top holiday gift picks from its fashion director:

Screen Capture: Roy Dopaishi

Note that shopping guides aren’t the only type of content you can publish. Other holiday-related content such as creative uses of your product can do just as well.

3. Create Video Holiday Buying Guides

Video is a powerful medium that lets brands increase their reach and engage their audience.

Platforms like YouTube continue to grow at a rapid pace. YouTube has well over a billion users now – almost a third of all online users. Retailers can reach more holiday shoppers this season with engaging videos that offer product recommendations.

Shoppers today face an overwhelming number of options, especially online. So to help them with their purchasing decisions, many are turning to video and more are doing so from mobile than ever before. According to data from Google, 68% of smartphone shoppers search for gift ideas on YouTube:

Image Credit: Google

Figuring out what to buy this holiday season can be overwhelming indeed. But you can reach more shoppers and drive more sales to your store with video.

Here are some tips to help your video rank in YouTube and in search:

• Optimize your video for holiday-specific keywords (e.g. Best Christmas Gifts for Men Under $50)
• Create a detailed description of your video and use your target keywords with a link to your site
• Include a few keyword tags to help Google better understand what your video is about
• Longer videos tend to rank better, so make yours at least 5 minutes
• Promote your video on various channels to drive more views

Here are some examples of videos that show up when searching for tech gift ideas on YouTube:

Screen Capture: Roy Dopaishi

Many of these already have a decent number of views. Use some of the ideas mentioned previously on developing shopping guides to create engaging videos you can publish on YouTube. Just like with any kind of content you publish, focus on quality over quantity.

4. Engage Users on Social Media

A majority of shoppers may turn to search engines first for product research, but social media shouldn’t be overlooked either! In a survey from eMarketer, 45% of respondents indicated that reading reviews and feedback influenced their shopping behavior.

Image Credit: eMarketer

Consumers not only use social media for interaction but also to stay on top of the latest trends, and even for shopping inspiration. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram are perfect channels to drive more sales this holiday season, as they thrive on visual content. Brands can then reach and engage more shoppers with quality posts that showcase their products.

The Dollar Shave Club used Instagram last year to showcase one of its holiday shave sets:

Image Credit: Dollar Shave Club

Samsung incorporated a sweepstakes into its holiday marketing campaign on Twitter for a chance to win an S7 Edge and a Gear VR:

Image Credit: Samsung

Social media offers a great complement to your inbound marketing strategy, as it can be used to share your shopping guides and engage more users. While there are numerous platforms to post on, your time is better spent focusing on only a few key networks.

Effective Inbound Marketing Tactics – the Gift that Keeps on Giving

The inbound marketing strategies detailed here are by no means exhaustive, but they do offer a great starting point to prepare your business for the holiday rush. Implement the strategies detailed above to drive more traffic to your website – and increase ecommerce sales this holiday season.

Four Holiday Inbound #Marketing Tactics You Need by @PerthWebDesign1 #RocksDigital #Sales
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Did these helpful tactics get you into the holiday marketing spirit? Will you do something different this year? Let’s hear your seasonal thoughts in the comments!

The post Help Shoppers Discover Great Deals – Holiday Inbound Marketing Tactics appeared first on Rocks Digital.

Can SMART goals produce dumb results? The short answer is yes. But the better question to ask yourself is “How can we keep this from happening to us?”

What are SMART Goals?

SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.

The main problem with SMART goals, or goals in general, is that they are just ideas, thoughts or expectations. They generate no energy, no forward motion until you take action. If you make a half-hearted attempt to achieve them, or are not fully committed, then what happens? Poor (or dumb) results are the eventual outcome.

Goal-setting and planning are balance sheet approaches. They offer only a snapshot of what is important to you today, and how to get there from here. However, there is no momentum, no “wood behind the arrow.” Without this momentum being generated and directed, it’s hard to reach the intended target. A P&L approach is required to make them come to life.

Don’t misunderstand my message. I believe that having clear-cut goals and actionable plans is essential to growth and success in any endeavor. In fact, I’ve devoted an entire online course to goal-setting and planning, “Discover YOUR Formula for Success.” However, they are just a part of the puzzle because as you know, more than goals and plans are required to produce great results.

So, what are the missing links critical to consistently producing great results?

How to FACE Your SMART Goals

To answer this question, I have created an acronym, FACE – because there just aren’t enough acronyms to go around these days. Besides resources, there are four critical links needed to help bring your goals and plans to life, and produce great (not dumb) results.

1. Focus. Be sure to align your SMART goals and plans with your actions, so you don’t get derailed, and greater success can be achieved as an outcome.
2. Accountability. If it’s to be, it’s up to… who? Hold yourself and your team accountable for making it happen. This is a major stumbling block for most of us.
3. Continuous Improvement. If you’re not getting better, you’re falling behind. Just think what a 1% improvement each week would translate to annually.
4. Execution. Without proper execution, your goals and plans cannot be effectively carried out. In fact, as much as 85% of success can be tied to execution.

Avoid the trap of thinking that the hard part is done once your goals and plans are in place. The fun is just beginning. At the end of the day, more emphasis on FACE is what will ultimately get you to the finish line.

Win SMART Goals Start with the FACE…

If your SMART goals are producing dumb results today, it’s probably not a failure on the part of the goal-setting process. In all likelihood, it’s because one or more of the critical links above are being overlooked. FACE provides us with the impetus to reach our goals, continue to improve and to achieve greater success at whatever we set out to accomplish.

When SMART #Goals Produce Dumb Results by @TresCoach #RocksDigital #Business
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Now you know that SMART Goals need FACE-time too! Do you have a favorite FACE component? Jump in and share your thoughts in the comments below!

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For online business owners, a sales funnel is one of the most important marketing tools you can have in your tool belt. However, many entrepreneurs, new as well as seasoned business owners, do not understand what sales funnels are and how these sales funnels efficiently work.

Failing to understand such a vital part of your business can mean fewer sales, decreased profits, and even a less stable business.

A Simple Sales Funnel

At its simplest form, sales funnels consist of free content, which typically requires nothing from your readers. Sales funnels begin with something such as a blog or Facebook post, something simple, but valuable to your audience. This is known as the “top” of your funnel.

Next, you will have an attractive offer that requires a non-money “payment,” typically an email address. I am sure you have frequently seen these kinds of offers on the internet, and you probably even sign up for some of these offers from time to time. These are free ebooks, an infographic, video, checklist, workbook, or other valuable content that you receive in return for “opting in” to an email list providing your email address and possibly your name. Valuable content is the key here!

Once they are on your mailing list, you next offer your readers a series of low-cost offers. These could be a low-priced ebook, a trial membership, a video. You should also continue to mix high-quality content with the low-cost offers. You want to build relationships with your readers, not just sell, sell, sell.

As customers purchase your low-priced products, they move further down the sales funnel, at which time you introduce them to your higher-priced products. As they continue to purchase, they move closer to your top-end offers, located at the bottom of your sales funnel.

How a Sales Funnel Works

Take a look at your sales funnel – think of it looking like the funnel you would find in your kitchen. It should become easy to see:

• Your free content, located at the top of your funnel, is consumed by the largest number of people.
• Next is your low-cost item (that is available for the cost of their email address), and attracts a smaller amount of your audience.
• Third, your low-priced products bring in a smaller group of your ideal audience.
• Finally, when you get to the bottom of the funnel, only the most loyal of your audience and customers will purchase your highest-priced offers.

Keep Customers in the Sales Funnel to Boost Sales and Strengthen Relationships

It is important to ensure, as a business owner, that your sales funnels lead buyers logically from the top free offer, all the way to the bottom, high-priced, high-quality product or service. It only makes sense that the longer you can keep them in the funnel, the more money you can make, and the deeper relationship you can build with that customer.

Most entrepreneurs – whether they are new or seasoned – can easily visualize the top of the sales funnel; that’s easy. However, if you want your business to grow you must master the entire process from start to finish, and this starts with understanding the sales funnel – and even more importantly how it works, and its implementation.

The Sales Funnel is a Vital #Marketing Tool! @KStarry shares on #RocksDigital #Business
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Take a fresh look at your own sales funnel! Are you at “mystery” or “mastery” level? And will you change anything up? Funnel your thoughts to the comments below!

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