MEETING MINUTES
Friday, May 15, 2009
Volume 16; Issue 19

Guests
We welcomed several guests from the Lathrop clan today.  Russ Perry is a personal guest today.  He is Tara's nephew.  Russ is also considering becoming a member with his company Keane Creative.  Robert Lathrop also joined us.  He is Dave's dad visiting from Pennsylvania.  Tara, Dave's wife, is our main speaker this morning.

Thank You
Bob Busch to a moment to thank everyone for the cards and support.  It was very heartwarming.

Brochures Update
Stuart Schindler will soon be making updates to the brochures (inserts).  If you have "drastic" changes please get them to Stu as soon as you can.

MABE Signups
Dave Lathrop again passed the tablet around for people to signup for a business showcase and buddy lunch.  You will get prior notice of your business showcase. 

Online Networking Update
Nick Mawrenko has finally signed up on some of our online networking sites. 
Dave Lathrop thanked Steve Chilton for a referral via LinkedIn.

Main Program: Tara DeSouza speaks on Sales and Sales Management
We are all looking for new business in this economy.  There are different ways to gain new business.  For her speech, Tara focused on universal methods that would apply to all members.

Tara's introduction into sales began by selling knives.   She quickly learned how to capitalize on referrals.  She developed her skills of getting client via referrals, networking and prospecting.  She eventually began recruiting  and training sales people.  

Its a numbers game and location does matter.  If you have retail store, you already know this.  If you are not in a retail store, it is about how many people you talk to, have heard of you and have told friends about you.  People buy from those they like and trust.  Some businesses don't necessarily lend themselves to sales (lawyers).  But if a client has a good experience they will spread the word.  Personal referrals are the best.  The way to get them is to ask for them.  Ask them who they know?  It really is that simple.

Measure your progress.  At ADP they measure everything.  They measure how many new clients they get, total revenue, profitable, how many clients they discount fees for, sales targets, quotas, employee retention, sales appointments conducted, who they met with (owner, manager), etc.  You may be stunned to see the results but it does get the wheels turning. 

Practice making sales calls.  Role play.  It helps.  Hint - Don't dive right into the sales pitch.  Start with a friendly greeting.

When going after small businesses, I know if I knock on 25 doors I will likely get 2 sales.  You have to be more strategic with larger companies.  You have to get to the decision maker and then touch them multiple times.  I might send a well crafted letter via FedEx and follow-up with a phone call.  Then I will drop something off.  It may take up to 8 contacts to make an impression.  Sometimes it is a matter of getting close to the lower level person who can then help you get to the decision maker.  You have to try a lot of different things to find what works.