Courtesy Is Kindness in Action http://amplify.com/u/bogpn http://amplify.com/u/aogpv

"To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time."Leonard BernsteinConductor and Composer http://amplify.com/u/aobnd

"Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish."John Quincy Adams1767-1848, Sixth President of the United States http://amplify.com/u/ao87x

"If you don't like the road you're walking, start paving another one."Dolly Parton http://amplify.com/u/ao7r0

"Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I shall have the belief that I can do it. I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it, even if I may not have it at the beginning."Mahatma Gandhi1869-1948, Indian Nationalist Leader http://amplify.com/u/ao7ai

When you boil it all down, there’s really only 2 strategies for getting more new clients.Perhaps you’re familiar with them.In marketing circles they’re known as “Push” and “Pull”.“Push” (as the name would imply) involves pushing yourself onto prospects in the hopes that you can convince them, before they hang up or walk away, that you have a service they desperately need. The classic example of the push strategy is cold calling.Does it work?Sure. But it’s got a lot downside to it.It’s labor intensive…not a whole lot of fun…you get lots (and lots) of rejections.But, the upside is that it doesn’t cost much of anything to implement, doesn’t take a lot of time or thought, so for people who tend to confuse activity with productive, and have a lot of time on their hands, it’s something to do.And, who knows, maybe it will lead to something.However, for most anyone who offers high value services, the “Push” marketing strategy leaves a lot to be desired. Whi http://amplify.com/u/ao7ah

"The individual who wants to reach the top in business must appreciate the might of the force of habit and must understand that practices are what create habits. He must be quick to break those habits that can break him and hasten to adopt those practices that will become the habits that help him achieve the success he desires."J. Paul Getty1892-1976, American Oil Tycoon http://amplify.com/u/anoo8

"The day you catch an idea you fall in love with, even a small one, is a beautiful day."David LynchFilmmaker and Television Director http://amplify.com/u/anldr

http://amplify.com/u/bnjcx New Internet Marketing Trends – Social MarketingInternet Marketing or Online Marketing is a new way to promote your product and services through the web.Your core marketing strategy stays the same as you raise your visibility in the target market while increasing sales and profits.Today, Internet Marketing is considered the fastest and most economical medium for promoting product and business growth.Internet marketing strategies cover various services such as search engine optimization (SEO), search newsletters, email marketing, copy writing, web development, blog posting, social media sites, pay per click and numerous others.And now the power of social media, team buying and twitter, have changed the landscape of how people are finding out about local merchants in Kelowna and throughout Canada.One internet marketing strategy that has caught on quickly is the Groupon and Twongo models, now in operation in Kelowna, Canada. This new marketing avenue harness http://amplify.com/u/anjd1

http://amplify.com/u/bnjcr Always when I begin my speeches or my workshops, I tell the participants that I cannot instruct them to price their widget at $4.95. Rather, I plan to teach my audience advanced ways of thinking about pricing and several methodologies to help them make informed and intelligent pricing decisions. Don’t follow the crowd!For most small businesses, the everyday pricing regime starts with checking the competition’s rates and prices, and then following the crowd. This is even the recommended strategy in many popular guides for small business.During the days of prohibition, 25 of Chicago’s top bootleggers were rounded up in a surprise raid. During their arraignment, the judge asked the usual questions, including the occupation of each suspect. The first twenty-four were all engaged in the same activity. Each claimed to be a realtor. “And, who are you?” the judge asked the last prisoner. “Your honour, I’m a bootlegger,” he said. Surprised, the judge http://amplify.com/u/anjcs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZgn70FESn8 http://amplify.com/u/anjco

Hi Amplify friends... I'm new here. Looking forward to sharing interesting things, learning something new and engaging in conversation with you! http://amplify.com/u/anjck

New Internet Marketing trends - Social Marketing

Internet Marketing or Online Marketing is a new way to promote your product and services through the web.
Your core marketing strategy stays the same as you raise your visibility in the target market while increasing sales and profits.
Today, Internet Marketing is considered the fastest and most economical medium for promoting product and business growth.
Internet marketing strategies cover various services such as search engine optimization (SEO), search newsletters, email marketing, copy writing, web development, blog posting, social media sites, pay per click and numerous others.
And now the power of social media, team buying and twitter, have changed the landscape of how people are finding out about local merchants in Kelowna and throughout Canada.
One internet marketing strategy that has caught on quickly is the Groupon and Twongo models, now in operation in Kelowna, Canada. This new marketing avenue harnesses the power of team buying and can truly drive more new business to your door.
These new marketing avenues are essentially an online coupon service with an immediate call to action, providing a platform to coordinate and facilitate group buying by consumers of retail business products.

The consumers are members of the local community who have chosen to join a free subscriber list. The products are provided by local business vendors seeking to increase their sales and to expand their consumer/client base by accessing the larger subscriber list.

Example One:

In one promotion 250 new visitors went to the website of a local pizza retailer and 157 vouchers of $25.00 were purchased by the subscribers within a 24 hour period. In the last two months, 67 of the sold coupons have been redeemed and his business was exposed to people who were not previously aware of his pizza business. At the end of 30 days the he received a cheque from the online services for his portion of the coupons sold.

In a previous marketing tactic, a door knocker promotion was used and 15,000 homes were targeted. In this venture $900.00 dollars of advertising capital was spent and only 18 coupons were redeemed.

In the past three years this pizza merchant has used radio, TV and print. At no time did any of these traditional marketing mediums issue back a cheque to this merchant.

Example Two:

In another case a local shoe merchant used Twitter to tweet out that he was having a 50% off sale and did so at 1:00 pm. By 3:00 pm the same afternoon he had eight people visit his store and 10 pairs of shoes were sold. He is now a frequent user of Twitter to keep his customers in the loop.

The same merchant used Twongo and the power of team buying to sell 230 discounted coupons against the purchase of regular priced shoes.

All money raised by the merchant was donated to the local food bank at Christmas and his store was featured on radio and in print, while donating $2,300 dollars to a great cause.

The marketing power of the internet has grown very fast in a short period of time and there is a whole new generation of shoppers who are looking for great value and great service.

Your job as a retailer in this internet age is to decide how you will market yourself so you can “Build Your Business”.

Donald Robichaud
FloodLight – Build Your Business
Kelowna / Ottawa / Toronto
Email
1-888-768-9415
http://www.floodlightconsulting.com/
http://donaldrobichaud.blogspot.com/

Web Ad Revenue Surges in 2010

Web Ad Revenue Surges in 2010eMarketer forecast sees an uptick of 13.9% to $25.8 billion
Dec 6, 2010 - Mike Shields

The recession is starting to fade from memory, in the online ad world at least.

Online advertising revenue will surge by 13.9 percent to $25.8 billion in 2010 in the U.S., according to the latest forecast from industry researcher eMarketer. That’s at least the third time that eMarketer has revised its 2010 spending estimates upward. A year ago the company predicted 5.5 percent growth this year. By May of this year that estimate had swelled to 11 percent.

The next several years should be robust for the online ad space as well, according to eMarketer. Next year, spending will climb by 10.5 percent—and in fact the researcher foresees double-digit spending growth in every year through 2014 with revenue netting out at $40.5 billion.

It appears that the Web’s relatively low cost compared to other media, coupled with its reputation for trackability may be propelling more dollars to the medium during the prolonged downturn.

According to eMarketer analyst David Hallerman, “It may seem ironic, but marketers’ economic concerns are leading them to spend more for online advertising.”

Donald Robichaud
FloodLight – Build Your Business
Kelowna / Ottawa / Toronto
Email
1-888-768-9415
http://www.floodlightconsulting.com/
http://donaldrobichaud.blogspot.com/

EU launches Google investigation after complaints

(Reuters) - EU regulators opened a formal investigation into Google on Tuesday, putting pressure on the world's top Internet search engine to offer concessions to settle antitrust complaints and avert a lengthy battle like Microsoft.

The move by the European Commission came more than nine months after British price comparison site Foundem and French legal search engine ejustice.fr alleged Google's search algorithm demoted their sites in Web search results because they were rivals.

Microsoft-owned Ciao, from Bing, also filed a complaint with the European Commission about Google's standard terms and conditions.

"The (European) Commission will investigate whether Google has abused a dominant market position in online search by allegedly lowering the ranking of unpaid search results of competing services," the EU executive said in a statement.

But Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said it was premature to say there was a problem with Google's business practices.

"I want to be very clear that this does not mean that there is definitely a problem -- it is far too early to say that," he told a European Parliamentary hearing.

Google said it would cooperate with the regulator.

"There is always going to be room for improvement, so we will be working with the Commission to address any concerns," a Google spokesman said.

The company defended its formula for ranking websites and said it had stopped using exclusive contracts almost two years ago.

"We built Google for users, not websites, and the nature of ranking is that some websites will be unhappy with where they rank," the spokesman said.

"Those sites have complained and even sued us over the years, but in all cases there were compelling reasons why their sites were ranked poorly by our algorithms."

The Commission said it would also look into allegations that Google sets exclusivity obligations on advertising partners, preventing them from placing certain types of competing ads on their websites, as well as on computer and software vendors, with the aim of shutting out competing search tools.

It would also investigate suspected restrictions on the portability of online advertising campaign data to competing online advertising platforms.
In January, Microsoft ended a decade-long battle with the Commission by agreeing to give European consumers better access to rival Internet browsers in its Windows operating system.
It has been fined a total 1.68 billion euros ($2.4 billion) for antitrust infringements in Europe.

The Commission can fine companies up to 10 percent of their global turnover for breaching EU rules. It has slapped a record 1.06 billion euros in fine on Intel in the past for abuse of market dominance.

(Editing by Rex Merrifield and David Hulmes)

Push or Pull Marketing Strategies which is right for you?

With the acceleration of the internet as a major marketing tool many clients are looking at their marketing budgets and doing an evaluation of their marketing expenditures.

In a perfect world you may want push out to certain markets while pulling in others.

When you think of push and pull marketing, think of it in terms of a person either getting "pulled" in to see what the seller has to offer or the seller "pushes" out what he has to sell to the buyer.

Let’s review the concept of push and pull marketing:

What is pull marketing?

Pull marketing is where you develop advertising and promotional strategies that are meant to entice the prospect to buy your product or service.

Some classic examples are "half off!" or "bring in this coupon to save 25%" or "buy one get one free" or creating a blog with free information. Give away an eBook to access to an email address or speaking at an event. With pull marketing, you are creating urgency or creating a sense of increased time limited value so that the customer will come into your store to buy now.

So what are the pull marketing tactics you can employ to achieve this?

Blogging – blogging is one of the best marketing avenues at your disposal. Not only does it provide you with a way of increasing your brand exposure and trust but it also allows you to connect more deeply with your audience.

Social Media Marketing – social media allows you to engage with others online. It is the sharing of content, opinion and insight with the folks within your online following and friends. Twitter is an example of a social media service that relies on pull marketing extensively. People follow the conversations that interest them.

Build Community – build a sense of community around your business and people will return. Give people the opportunity to communicate with other like minded individuals and they will return to your business to do so – and indeed identify you as a leader in your industry.

Email Newsletters – offering additional information by way of an email newsletter is another great way to provide value to customers. It is a great way to educate your clients on the services that you offer and helps you stand out from the crowd.

Public Speaking – being seen is a great way to increase your authority. This is where you want to be, as having knowledge initiates questions from the less knowledgeable – and this leads to business.

What is push marketing?

Push marketing is the practice of ‘pushing’ your product towards an audience that may or may not know about it. Traditional advertising leaflets that drop through your letterbox or sales letters, advertising on TV, Radio and newspapers or cold calls.

All of these are examples of push marketing. Think about the last time you received a leaflet in the post. Was it relevant to you? Did you keep it or throw it out? Push marketing only gets results if the timing is right, and if the product or service caters to recipients needs.

Examples of some push marketing tactics you could use to generate awareness of your product:

Paid Advertising - There are many types of paid advertising available and their goal is largely the same: to obtain traffic that will hopefully convert into customers or leads

Create and Maintain an Email List. You should always aim to build an email list for both potential buyers and existing customers. This allows you to push information out to your customers in a very cost-effective way to generate sales.

Joint Venture with other Businesses - This is a variation of paid advertising. Offer to pay partners a referral fee if they refer prospects to your business. Non-profit communities or online associations are a good place to set up referral networks.

When deciding whether to pull or push you should consider that "pull" marketing lets a company focus on the development of the brand. "Pull" marketing wants to create loyal supporters by setting a certain standard for their brand. While "push" marketing is more concerned with short-term results

Both push and pull marketing strategies work well to achieve specific goals. An experienced marketing professional can help you integrate both strategies in a long term marketing plan which will be an effective way to promote any business or website and Build Your Business.

Fore more information contact:

Donald Robichaud
FloodLight Consulting
Build Your Business
Email
250-768-9415
http://www.floodlightconsulting.com/
http://donaldrobichaud.blogspot.com/

OBRG Networking Event Thursday November 25th – Work Life Balance … Is it possible?

We have all heard it before is there such a thing as work life balance?

What simple things can you do to grow your business without leave a negative impact on your health?


Join us from The Okanagan Business Referral Group on Thursday November 25th to find out how to bring more balance in your life.

Hear from five speakers,

Dan Walker-Delisle Chiropractor from Creative Healing on how to make positive changes to improve your energy at work.
Roy Collins/Carmen Sprag from Total Office designing an office the has builds creativity and great work environment.

Ron Finch from Paradigm Health Clinic the benefits of good nutrition on your effectiveness in your life and business.

Chris Rowe of Kelowna Martial Arts on how to physical activity can minimize your stress and maximize performance in all areas your life.

Lyle Isenor from Russell & Associates: Health creating wellness through your employee benefits program.

Tickets are only 29 dollars each and include print material and appetizers, and time to network with other like minded business owners.

Our last event was sold out so please RSVP me back.

Location: Sandman Hotel and Conference Ctr. 2130 Harvey Avenue
Date: Thursday November 25th
Event Time: 2 to 4 pm
Networking: 4 to 5 pm

Complimentary Appetizers and Cash bar provided after the event

To purchase tickets contact:

Cathy Carolei
250-861-4222

carolei@shawcable.com

Partial proceeds from the event will be going to The Access to Employment Program. Check their website for more information here http://www.pimbc.ca/employ.html


Donald Robichaud
President
FloodLight Consulting - Build Your Business - 250-768-9415
http://www.floodlightconsulting.com/
http://donaldrobichaud.blogspot.com/

The Purple Pinkie Polio Campaign

Floodlight is a proud sponsor of Roy’s Shoes Purple Pinkie campaign.

KELOWNA, BC – October 21th 2010 ROY’S SHOES KELOWNA, a leader in quality and comfort family footwear, is proud to announce a partnership with Sunrise Rotary and the Rotoract Club of Kelowna to purple the pinkies of 3000 people in Kelowna. With a donation of $1 we hope to raise $3000 which will allow 5000 children to be vaccinated. When teams of volunteers are vaccinating the children of a village the tips of their little fingers are dipped in purple dye so that the team knows that they have been done.


Roy’s Shoes will also be exhibiting an iron lung used to help individuals with polio to breath.

A patient with polio may need to use an iron lung which when sealed provides an effectively oscillating atmospheric pressure so they can breathe.

After 20 years of hard work, Rotary and its partners like Roy’s Shoes are on the brink of eradicating this tenacious disease, but a strong push is needed now to root it out once and for all. It is a window of opportunity of historic proportions.

Your contribution will help Roy’s Shoes and Rotary raise $200 million to match $355 million in challenge grants received from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The resulting $555 million will directly support immunization campaigns in developing countries, where polio continues to infect and paralyze children, robbing them of their futures and compounding the hardships faced by their families.

As long as polio threatens even one child anywhere in the world, children everywhere remain at risk. The stakes are that high. This is important because there is no cure for Polio, only prevention. And when just one case of polio still exists, the whole world is in danger of being infected. It is an issue that affects us here in North America as the disease is only a short plane ride away and it could again become a huge problem like it was in the 1950's.

Time Line:

* Iron Lung and the Purple Pinkie Project will be at Roy’s Shoes October 25th to October 30th 2010

* Watch for Purple Pinkie Projects at UBCO, Okanagan College, London Drugs, Farmers Markets, and other locations across the Okanagan

* October 30, 2010 - Ramesh Ferris – Guess Speaker - A Canadian polio survivor and long distance cyclist Ramesh Ferris will speak at the Rotary Centre for the Arts in Kelowna. 7:00PM

* October 30, 2010 - Book Signing - Ramesh Ferris will be at Roy’s Shoes for book signing 11 to 2 pm

About ROY’S SHOES - For 37 years Roy’s Shoes Boot and Repair has offered great service, quality comfort shoes and shoe repair in Kelowna’s downtown core. Jim Belshaw bought Roy’s Shoes three years ago and is committed to his community and is a proud Rotarian.

Jim Belshaw is a huge supporter of Downtown Kelowna becoming a viable mixed use community that supports live, work and play opportunities for both residents and visitors. Jim donates through Roy’s Shoes a $1.00 of every shoe repair to his local and international community. To date last year his donations topped $7000.00.

FOR MORE INFO CONTACT:
Jim Belshaw -Roy’s Shoes Boots and Repair
250-763-5696
roysshoes@shaw.ca
http://www.roysshoes.com/

Social Media Marketing – Are you connected?

Whether your company is just starting out, starting to grow or already established, you need to continually evaluate the tools which will help build your business to the next stage. Social Media has shifted the way we talk to friends, family and our clients.

When evaluating your marketing dollars for 2011 you’ll want to ensure that 25 % of your marketing budget is directed to marketing yourself on the internet. If your target market is under 30 years old it may be as high as 50%.

If you follow this thought process you will definitely want to arm yourself with social media tools, that will play an important role in the development of your company’s marketing strategy and business development.

Getting the word out in today’s internet world is imperative and the marketing of you and your business will be given a big boost by social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Below is a quick overview for the big four of Social Media:

Facebook:
As of July 2010 Facebook has more than 500 million active users, which is about one person for every fourteen in the world. Users may create a personal profile, add other users as friends and exchange messages, including automatic notifications when they update their profile. Additionally, users may join common interest user groups, organized by workplace, school, or college, or other characteristics.

The benefits of Facebook - Facebook is an excellent social networking source. You can have a business profile page, and different groups. It also has a great event tool which allows you to invite people to your next party or business social event.

Twitter:

Twitter is a website which offers a social networking and micro blogging service, enabling its users to send and read other users' messages called tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the user's profile page.

The benefits of Twitter - Twitter has many uses for both personal and business use. It's a great way to keep in touch with your friends and quickly broadcast information about where you are and what you're up to. For example, "I'm downtown and aching for some sushi, anyone like to join me?" For business, Twitter can be used to broadcast your company's latest news and blog posts, interact with your customers, or to enable easy internal collaboration and group communication.

YouTube:

YouTube is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, share, and view videos. YouTube uses video technology to display a wide variety of user-generated video content, including movie clips, TV clips, and music videos, as well as amateur content such as video blogging and short original videos. Most of the content on YouTube has been uploaded by individuals, although media corporations including CBS, BBC, and others are using this medium as a marketing tool. YouTube is the second biggest search engine tool after Google.

The benefits of YouTube - With YouTube you can create your own customized channel or customer base. Whenever a video is added to a YouTube account, it leads to the creation of one profile channel by itself. Keen viewers usually form a part of this channel and may also take its subscription. One may also promote their websites further by sending newsletters through e-mails to these subscribers. In other words, it can aid in building your customer list.

LinkedIn:

LinkedIn is mainly used for professional networking. As of August 2010, LinkedIn had more than 75 million registered users, spanning more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. The site is available in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. The purpose of the site is to allow registered users to maintain a list of contact details of people they know and trust in business. The people in the list are called Connections. Users can invite anyone (whether a site user or not) to become a connection.

The benefits of LinkedIn:

For many professionals LinkedIn has become the social tool for professional networking on line. It’s a convenient way to stay connected to current colleagues and people who you’ve worked with in the past. It’s a great way to be connected with the owner’s and decision makers of the business world.

Social Media is a great way to share expertise with a target market of prospects and clients and to become a leader in your field. Build Your Business with Social Media and increase your market share with loyal followers.

Fore more information contact:

Donald Robichaud
FloodLight – Build Your Business
Kelowna / Ottawa / Toronto
Email
1-888-768-9415
http://www.floodlightconsulting.com/
http://donaldrobichaud.blogspot.com/

To blog or not to blog that is the question?

To blog or not to blog that is the question. In recent years Blogs have become an effective way of creating a dialog with your target market allowing businesses to market products and services to their clients.

Blogs allow your business to re purpose all relevant information that is subject oriented to your market and this sharing of information allows you to become the leaders in your field and utilize all the free internet tools made possible on Google to drive down traditional marketing costs.



Blogs allow you to:

•Humanize your company with corporate blogs. One or more employees, the CEO included, may blog. Corporate blogs require a level of transparency. As a result, corporate bloggers must have access to, and support from, senior management, PR, and legal depending on the business. A bike shop has greater freedom than a corporate banker.

•Build business or brand by connecting with consumers. Both small businesses and major corporations can use blogs to build closer relationships with their customers by posting relevant information that speaks to the needs of their clients

•Gather market intelligence. Blogs allow you to monitor the public buzz to determine how your brand and close competitors are faring. Knowing where, why, and how you’re being trashed (or praised) in a public forum allows you to respond appropriately.

•Engage bloggers by commenting on key business topics. Reading blogs related to your product or company to understand the blogger’s perspective and audience trends will allow you to strategically respond to postings to initiate dialogue. More genuine that a PR pitch, this approach can also help correct misinformation

A blog allows you to educate, support all your products, speak to your past, present and future clients and stay top of mind for your services while helping you to Build Your Business.

Please contact us at 250.768.9415 or email us ( Click Here ) for more information on how we can help you "Build Your Business"!

Donald Robichaud
FloodLight – Build Your Business
Kelowna / Ottawa / Toronto
Email
1-888-768-9415
http://www.floodlightconsulting.com/
http://donaldrobichaud.blogspot.com/

Soles for Souls - That's a Wrap!!!

Soles 4 Souls Canada from Jerry Mason on Vimeo.

Donald Robichaud President FloodLight Consulting - Build Your Business - 250-768-9415 http://www.floodlightconsulting.com/
http://donaldrobichaud.blogspot.com/

Are you and Expert?

The first half of 2010 is almost over and we are approaching the summer months.

This is a great time to access the first half of the year and review your business goals for the year. Are you on track? If not, Why? What do you need to do to ensure success for the balance of 2010 and the start of 2011?

I’ve had many discussions with Start Ups, Entrepreneurs and mid size businesses just like you who are struggling to find new leads, close sales and market their business.

When I ask if they’re experts in their field, I get all types of odd answers from, No!!!!!! To, well I don't have a university degree or even worse I don’t know.

If you’re not an expert in your field and fully confident of your products and service your potential customers will sense your weakness and not be moved to desire your services.

Many businesses are held back because key people in the organization lack the proper skill set to either manage their business effectively or they lack the skills to utilize new technologies like the internet to leverage their business.

To be a successful business today you need to continue the learning process and learn new skills. You are the key to your success. You need to have an open mind and become and expert in your field and the only way to do this is to continue learning.

To do this you must take stock of your business:

1. Write down the top ten must improve areas of your business for 2010

2. Now divide the top ten in to the following areas of Sales, Marketing and Business Operation.

3. You will notice that one area will become painfully obvious

4. Now go buy a couple of books to read in that obvious area. (Possibly Marketing)

5. Monday to Friday get up early every morning or shut off the TV early at night and read every day for one hour.

Five days a week for one hour. Take notes of the things you like and implement as soon as possible.

5 hours x 26 weeks = 180 hours dedicated to learning.

To really achieve any goal or to learn a new skill that is worthwhile, we need to discipline ourselves to keep it on track until it’s accomplished. There are several ways to effectively track your goals.

• Keep a list and review your goals regularly, preferably daily

• Break down a goal into actionable steps

• Break down a goal into quantifiable results

• Track a goal by the amount of time you spend on it

The investment in learning will pay multiple dividends for the balance of 2010 leading into 2011 and help you to “Build your Business”


Donald Robichaud is the President of FloodLight Consulting and can be reached at 250-768-9415


Donald Robichaud President
FloodLight Consulting - Build Your Business - 250-768-9415
http://www.floodlightconsulting.com/
http://donaldrobichaud.blogspot.com/

The Learning Process

In the last few weeks I have been involved with the Training of many employees throughout the Kelowna region.

In one session we were doing sales training with the emphasis on accessing the customers’ needs and in the other session employees were improving their Microsoft excel skills.

In both classes the feedback was very positive and many expressed how confident they felt once the session was over and they had started to utilise their new skills.

In one situation the salesman was able to re-engage a national account, once thought lost and due to the sales training they have put this 250 thousand dollar project back on the rails to success.

In business we sometimes look at training as a cost to the employer rather than the benefits of the training and how it will enhance our performance as a company and return on Investment. (ROI)

In fact many businesses have no problem dropping $1000.00 to $5000.00 dollars a month or more on advertising with little results when all they really had to do was pare down their advertising by 20% and funnel the dollars into the betterment of their employees and improving company efficiency.

The results are ever lasting and generally the employee will be very thankful for the opportunity to enhance their skill set.

Fifteen years ago I was that employee looking for an opportunity to improve my lot in life. My employer invested in training for myself and others. At the age of 39 I embarked on a learning curve that has lead me to the present position as president of Floodlight.

It was not easy, but as I learned more I was able to move myself up the corporate ladder until such time I decided to begin my own company.

I am forever grateful for the opportunity that was given me to improve my skill set which allowed me to take better care of my family and my clients.

Learning new skills and enhancing old ones is the best way to improve your employees self esteem with the quickest rate of return.

Take a look at your present advertising and marketing budgets then funnel some dollars in to your greatest area of return, your employees.

Who knows, that salesman in cubicle number three may just be your next vice president and help you Build Your Business.

Donald Robichaud is the President of FloodLight Consulting

and can be reached at 1-888-768-9415 or at 250-768-9415

Donald Robichaud
President FloodLight Consulting - Build Your Business - 250-768-9415 http://www.floodlightconsulting.com/
http://donaldrobichaud.blogspot.com/

Selling Breakthroughs - August 19th 2010 - Kelowna Sales Training

Selling Breakthroughs - August 19th 2010 - Kelowna Sales Training
20 spots available / 13 left
Call today -250-768-9415 to book your spot!!!

Total cost - Selling Breakthroughs - $495.00

Sign up before August 1st 2010 and receive!!
One hour Sales Training on: How do people buy? (Value $150.00)

Keep your customers satisfied to create lasting relationships.

The secret to making a successful sale is knowing what, why, how and when your audience wants to buy. Learn the processes and stages of both buyer and seller simultaneously to understand how to apply sales skills and behaviors that accurately match the buyer's state and motivations. Understand how to use your expertise confidently to positively influence outcomes and meet both the buyer's and your own requirements. A sale isn't over until your client knows that the solution to their business problem is you and your product or service.

This course will help you:

• Accurately assess customer needs and establish needs awareness
• Present solutions based upon priority and big picture needs, not products or services
• Use the buyer's motivations for increased focus and creating opportunities
• Communicate as a problem-solver and a trusted partner
• Develop professional, long-lasting business-to-business relationships

Who should Attend:

Anyone involved in the selling process.

Format:

• A highly-interactive 1-day workshop.

Tools Provided:

• A Comprehensive Learning Guide
• A pre- and post-workshop skills assessment 
• Half hour with our sales professional one month after training

Detailed Synopsis: Selling Breakthroughs

The Selling Breakthroughs workshop. will give you the skills needed to transform selling products, services or ideas into selling “business solutions” are essential for salespeople at all levels.

The program will broaden your understanding and develop your selling skills to uncover the underlying business need, create a desire to act on solving the business problem or to take advantage of a business opportunity, make clientcentered sales presentations, gain commitment, and enhance the relationship by ensuring client satisfaction.

The program provides practical planning tools and processes, with case studies and practice sessions to learn and enhance your selling skills.

Unit 1 An Overview of the Selling – Buying Process:
In this overview unit we examine the process and stages that a buyer moves through in any buying situation. This enables us to appreciate the skills and behaviors required by the salesperson to support the buyer throughout the process.

Unit 2 Need: Establishing buyers’ needs and need awareness:
The foundation of any sale and worthwhile relationship requires a clear understanding of the buyer’s real needs – their situation, problems and opportunities. In this unit you will learn the importance of first impressions, and how to use appropriate selling and interpersonal behaviors to achieve strong and positive relationships. You will enhance your questioning skills to obtain appropriate facts and information, and to get confirmation, agreement and commitment.

Unit 3 Priority: Activating needs to priority:
This stage is the vital link between establishing needs and presenting a solution. We explore general and specific buying motives, and identify and establish the individual motivations and drives of our buyers. You will learn specific questioning skills that focus the buyer on their real situation, and help them clarify those needs that are priorities for them. You will become comfortable challenging the status quo.

Unit 4 Solution: Presenting a business case solution:
This Unit is designed to move you towards mastery of presenting a business case that meets the buyer’s specific product and service needs, demonstrates value, and is based on positive relationships. You will further enhance your questioning and listening skills. You will learn how to prepare generic and client specific product and service analyses, based on a complete understanding of features, advantages, benefits and end results. You will prepare a value-based solution, with a documented valueadded package, that effectively differentiates your solution. You will learn how to deal with various forms of resistance, including “price” issues, and positively sell on value and
relationship factors.

Unit 5 Implement: Closing and implementing:
Through an understanding of buying signals, stress and risk assessment, and closing techniques, you will learn how to support the buyer to implement their solution choice. Preparation of a checklist and plan will ensure both parties commit to and complete full implementation.

Unit 6 Relationship: Cementing the relationship and managing expectations:
This unit looks at our customers in terms of importance and worth to help us better allocate our time. Development of an expectation feedback system helps us monitor and evaluate results against expectations. Proactive follow-up will ensure an ongoing relationship based on trust and credibility.

Total cost - Selling Breakthroughs - $495.00

For more information and to see how Priority Management can help you work smarter, call:

Donald Robichaud
FloodLight Consulting - Build Your Business
250-768-9415
http://www.floodlightconsulting.com/
http://donaldrobichaud.blogspot.com/

Soles4Souls Canada - 25,000 Shoes 25 Days

I’m proud to announce that FloodLight Consulting will be supporting Roy’s Shoes as they raise 25,000 shoes in 25 days. This is a worthy cause and I recommend all clients and friends to clean out your closets and help Roy’s , changing the world, one pair at a time.

February 24th to Saturday March 20th

Our goal is to collect 25,000 pairs of shoes in 25 days.

Local Okanagan social agencies as example; The Food Bank Store, Kelowna Gospel Mission, Now Canada, Kelowna’s Women’s Shelter etc. will all be offered footwear for their clients.

The remaining shoes will be shipped to the Soles4Souls distribution Center in Nevada where they will be sorted and shipped to where needed. Presently they have committed over 1 million pairs to Haiti.

Drop off locations

All Capri Insurance Locations: Kamloops, Vernon, Kelowna, Pentiction
Roy’s Shoes
Ramada Hotel Kelowna
Capital News
Astral Media - Sun Fm - 1150 Radio - Silk FM
Best Western Vernon Lodge
Penticton Lake Side Resort
OK Pizza
Wickerland Patio and Home
Spy vs Spy - The Spy Store

A $5.00 donation buys 2 pairs of NEW SANDALS

WE NEED YOU TO CLEAN OUT YOUR CLOSETS
Estimates are that every person has 3 or 4 pairs at least in their closet that are not worn any more but still in good shape. We ask that you clean out your closets but convince your friends, neighbors and relatives to do the same. We ask that the shoes have no holes in the soles and in decent shape. All footwear including sandals and boots are accepted and needed.

It is also the GREEN thing to do. There are tons of discarded footwear in the landfills that when break down the toxic glue that holds our shoes together can leak into our water supply and atmosphere.

For more information call Jim Belshaw Roy’s Shoes
1627 Ellis St. Kelowna PBC 250-763-5696 cell 250-870-1191

Jim Belshaw
Roy’s Shoes Boots and Repair
1627 Ellis Street, Kelowna, V1Y2A8
250-763-5696
roysshoes@shaw.ca
http://www.roysshoes.com/
http://www.soles4soulscanada.com/

or

Donald Robichaud
President
FloodLight Consulting - Build Your Business - 250-768-9415
http://www.floodlightconsulting.com/
http://donaldrobichaud.blogspot.com/