A bouquet of flowers is a fresh and elegant gift that is appreciated and loved by one and all. Flowers not only exude natural beauty but also are symbolic of life.   The fresh beauty of flowers always evoke feelings, especially if given on a romantic day like Valentines Day.

Today, most people prefer gifting flowers to their loved ones on special occasions. Although the concept of presenting flowers is not new to people but in recent times it has gained more popularity than ever before. You will find several online flower delivery services on the internet that offer you a large variety of flowers to choose from.

 

Presenting flowers can be a gesture of appreciation between friends, a symbol of love and appreciation between lovers, sign of consolation at times of sorrow and loss, or a way to welcome a guest. You will be surprised to know that these simple flowers bear significant meanings to them. Therefore, it is vital to choose the right kind of flowers for particular occasions in order to convey the right message to the other person. Now this may be quite a task for many. Therefore, to make the crucial process of selecting flowers easier for your, there are several flower delivery services to guide you through.

 

But remember, it is also important to choose a quality flower delivery service in order to ensure that the flowers are delivered on time and exactly as you ordered. There are several well-known websites that guarantee satisfaction to their customers. However, it is advisable that you do your own research on flower delivery services that guarantee satisfaction so as to make an educated decision while choosing a good flower delivery service for yourself. So, go ahead and use the power of flowers to express that warm fuzzy feeling we call love in its many forms.

For more information visit Flower delivery Chicago.

“Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ….”  2 Corinthians 2:14

Who does not want to overcome their circumstances, situations, or life’s daily challenges?  When faced with life’s uncertainties, we all want to have the hope and assurance of being victorious through them. The only guarantee you have of being successful and a winner in life over your circumstances is God. Why? Because He has said so!  This is the confidence we have as we live our lives.

Thanks should be a continual daily language that is communicated to God our Father.  Through the above passage of Scripture, God specifically wants us to know that because of what Jesus Christ did at the cross through the shedding of His Blood, we can be confident that we will always triumph.  He wants us to know that we are overcomers of obstacles that try and overtake  us daily. 

This season of being thankful should find us continually thanking God for His love and goodness toward us.  We have been given the assurance of triumph through each and every situation of life.  It is truly the mercy and grace of God that He will always, not sometimes, cause us to be the victor!

ENCOURAGEMENT:   God is the One that will cause you to overcome life’s challenges every time.  This is because of what His Son Jesus did for you and me!

Thanks be to God today and all eternity!

2009 is drawing to a close, and 2010 is waiting in the wings… Our dynamic team at Badec Bros Deco will be taking a well-deserved break from 18 December 2009, until 6 January 2010. You have until Thursday, 26 November 2009 to place your orders for delivery in 2009! From next week on, we will be taking the orders for 2010.

Therefore, should you wish to have your very own signature Cubedec steel dustbin, interactive sculpture, Cubedec shelving, Cubedec miniature Zen garden box, 2010 Soccer World Cup décor, mild steel lamp shade, mild steel screen, Cubedec laser-cut logo, gabion counter, narration stand, gabion light cage, gabion bollard, gabion water feature, sculptured living wall, sculptured flagpoles, unique pot and drip tray, customized sculpture, Cubedec bench, trendy steel décor with your company logo emblazoned on it, mild steel inspirational slogan, steel laser-cut signage, mild steel mould, Cubedec Pot, hanging sculpture, gabion pot, gabion wall or gabion terrace, wooden or steel feature poles, bar code trellis, Cubedec water feature, pergola, arch, sculpture or trellis, you can contact our energetic and knowledgeable sales representative, Mareleen van Zijl, on her cell phone at 078 800 5112, the office number at 012 460 7990, or via e-mail at mareleen@badecbros.com

She will gladly arrange an appointment with you to listen to your ideas and to stun you with our own creative ideas! You dream it, we manufacture it!

Badec Bros Deco will create a 3 dimensional render and calculate a quotation FREE OF CHARGE for you! We can deliver your unique Badec Bros Deco product(s) within 10 to 15 working days, upon acceptance of the design and quotation and the required 50% deposit. These services come standard and will not cost you a cent extra! We offer a 1 year guarantee on all our products.

2009 is drawing to a close, and 2010 with all of its opportunities and challenges is peeping around the corner …

Our dynamic team at Badec Bros Deco will be taking a well-deserved break from 18 December 2009, until 6 January 2010. We thank you for your valued support and wish you a blessed Christmas and joyous festive season. We look forward to collaborating with you in the new year.

Remember, should you wish to have your very own signature Cubedec steel dustbin, interactive sculpture, Cubedec shelving, Cubedec miniature Zen garden box, 2010 Soccer World Cup décor, mild steel lamp shade, mild steel screen, Cubedec laser-cut logo, gabion counter, narration stand, gabion light cage, gabion bollard, gabion water feature, sculptured living wall, sculptured flagpoles, unique pot and drip tray, customized sculpture, Cubedec bench, trendy steel décor with your company logo emblazoned on it, mild steel inspirational slogan, steel laser-cut signage, mild steel mould, Cubedec Pot, hanging sculpture, gabion pot, gabion wall or gabion terrace, wooden or steel feature poles, bar code trellis, Cubedec water feature, pergola, arch, sculpture or trellis, you can contact our energetic and knowledgeable sales representative, Mareleen van Zijl, on her cell phone at 078 800 5112, the office number at 012 460 7990, or via e-mail at mareleen@badecbros.com

She will gladly arrange an appointment with you to listen to your ideas and to stun you with our own creative ideas! You dream it, we manufacture it! Badec Bros Deco will create a 3 dimensional render and calculate a quotation FREE OF CHARGE for you! We can deliver your unique Badec Bros Deco product(s) within 10 to 15 working days, upon acceptance of the design and quotation and the required 50% deposit. These services come standard and will not cost you a cent extra! We offer a 1 year guarantee on all our products.

We have had quite a few requests to provide décor ideas to hide unsightly air conditioning units in gardens. Badec Bros Deco specializes in feature walls, such as gabion feature walls. These designer walls are ideal to hide air conditioning units, unsightly views, or ugly old walls, without having to remove the existing wall.

We manufacture our gabion walls from 30mm x 3mm angle iron, which is welded together to ensure a strong frame. Then we weld strong, steel mesh onto the frame to create the shape of the wall. Once the hollow wall structure has been manufactured, we install it on site and fill it with pebbles, slate stone or chunky quartzite gravel.

Alternatively, we can also construct mild steel feature walls and add intricate detail to the surface of the steel to decorate it. There are three finishes to choose from. We can powder coat the feature wall in any colour imaginable, or we can apply mild steel finish or a rusted finish. Our powder coating is SABS approved.

Badec Bros Deco can also manufacture mild steel screens. These screens can be used to create privacy or to hang Cubedec hanging pots or hanging sculptures onto. We can customize our mild steel screens to any size and shape and with a wide range of finishes, such as powder coating in any colour, mild steel finish or a rust effect or even wooden cladding.

Should you wish to have your very own signature Cubedec feature wall, steel dustbin, interactive sculpture, Cubedec shelving, Cubedec miniature Zen garden box, 2010 Soccer World Cup décor, mild steel lamp shade, mild steel screen, Cubedec laser-cut logo, gabion counter, narration stand, gabion light cage, gabion bollard, gabion water feature, sculptured living wall, sculptured flagpoles, unique pot and drip tray, customized sculpture, Cubedec bench, trendy steel décor with your company logo emblazoned on it, mild steel inspirational slogan, steel laser-cut signage, mild steel mould, Cubedec Pot, hanging sculpture, gabion pot, gabion wall or gabion terrace, wooden or steel feature poles, bar code trellis, Cubedec water feature, pergola, arch, sculpture or trellis, please feel free to contact our energetic and knowledgeable sales representative, Mareleen van Zijl, on her cell phone at 078 800 5112, the office number at 012 460 7990, or via e-mail at mareleen@badecbros.com

She will gladly arrange an appointment with you to listen to your ideas and to stun you with our own creative ideas! You dream it, we manufacture it!

Badec Bros Deco will create a 3 dimensional render and calculate a quotation FREE OF CHARGE for you! We can deliver your unique Badec Bros Deco product(s) within 10 to 15 working days, upon acceptance of the design and quotation and the required 50% deposit. These services come standard and will not cost you a cent extra! We offer a 1 year guarantee on all our products.

There are many places to purchase Ugg name brand boots on the retail market, but not all of this fancy footwear is authentic. Many individuals wonder where to buy Ugg boots without getting an unexpected bonus—a fake!

If you are concerned about purchasing authentic boots, consider the following tips to make sure that your footwear is guaranteed real and certainly not a cheap rip off.

Since these boots are typically more expensive than other types of boots of similar makeup, so it is crucial that your extra bucks are paying for something actual.

* National Retailers *

The most popular answer to the where to buy ugg boots question is national retailers.

Popular department stores like Macys and those in the May Company family of stores regularly carry a stock of these boots.

One of the best sources for ugg boots is the department store giant Nordstrom. Since Nordstrom originally began as a shoe store, it is completely appropriate that Nordstrom carries one of the largest selections of ugg footwear in the country.

In addition to their traditional brick and mortar stores that dot the country, the Nordstrom website carries an even larger selection of ugg shoes and boots. One advantage of purchasing your ugg boots through a nationally recognized department store is the guarantee of authenticity.

Although these boots generally are more expensive than those advertised on the World Wide Web, you can rest assured that you are purchasing a genuine Ugg product.

* Online Specialty Shops *

Not all internet retailers are irresponsible, as most are completely reputable. Especially when you visit the authorized website for ugg boots and shoes, you can be certain that your purchase is authentic.

Coming all the way from Australia, the footwear and accessories on the main ugg website may be your best bet when you are looking for those hard to find styles of boots, shoes, or accessories.

Many internet-based auction sites promise super low prices on ugg boots and shoes. However, the actual products up for sale in many of these auctions are actually lookalikes instead of the real McCoy.

Although the footwear may look like authentic uggs, the construction and materials are of much less quality than the typically superior uggs. The high quality construction and materials are one of the reasons why Uggs are so popular (and also so expensive).

Furthermore, your knock off uggs will not wear as comfortably as actual uggs, so in effect, you are spending your money on something that looks similar to ugg footwear, but is far from the actual shoe or boot.

There are many places to purchase Ugg name brand boots on the retail market, but not all of this fancy footwear is authentic. Many individuals wonder where to buy Ugg boots without getting an unexpected bonus—a fake!

If you are concerned about purchasing authentic boots, consider the following tips to make sure that your footwear is guaranteed real and certainly not a cheap rip off.

Since these boots are typically more expensive than other types of boots of similar makeup, so it is crucial that your extra bucks are paying for something actual.

* National Retailers *

The most popular answer to the where to buy ugg boots question is national retailers.

Popular department stores like Macys and those in the May Company family of stores regularly carry a stock of these boots.

One of the best sources for ugg boots is the department store giant Nordstrom. Since Nordstrom originally began as a shoe store, it is completely appropriate that Nordstrom carries one of the largest selections of ugg footwear in the country.

In addition to their traditional brick and mortar stores that dot the country, the Nordstrom website carries an even larger selection of ugg shoes and boots. One advantage of purchasing your ugg boots through a nationally recognized department store is the guarantee of authenticity.

Although these boots generally are more expensive than those advertised on the World Wide Web, you can rest assured that you are purchasing a genuine Ugg product.

* Online Specialty Shops *

Not all internet retailers are irresponsible, as most are completely reputable. Especially when you visit the authorized website for ugg boots and shoes, you can be certain that your purchase is authentic.

Coming all the way from Australia, the footwear and accessories on the main ugg website may be your best bet when you are looking for those hard to find styles of boots, shoes, or accessories.

Many internet-based auction sites promise super low prices on ugg boots and shoes. However, the actual products up for sale in many of these auctions are actually lookalikes instead of the real McCoy.

Although the footwear may look like authentic uggs, the construction and materials are of much less quality than the typically superior uggs. The high quality construction and materials are one of the reasons why Uggs are so popular (and also so expensive).

Furthermore, your knock off uggs will not wear as comfortably as actual uggs, so in effect, you are spending your money on something that looks similar to ugg footwear, but is far from the actual shoe or boot.

There are many places to purchase Ugg name brand boots on the retail market, but not all of this fancy footwear is authentic. Many individuals wonder where to buy Ugg boots without getting an unexpected bonus—a fake!

If you are concerned about purchasing authentic boots, consider the following tips to make sure that your footwear is guaranteed real and certainly not a cheap rip off.

Since these boots are typically more expensive than other types of boots of similar makeup, so it is crucial that your extra bucks are paying for something actual.

* National Retailers *

The most popular answer to the where to buy ugg boots question is national retailers.

Popular department stores like Macys and those in the May Company family of stores regularly carry a stock of these boots.

One of the best sources for ugg boots is the department store giant Nordstrom. Since Nordstrom originally began as a shoe store, it is completely appropriate that Nordstrom carries one of the largest selections of ugg footwear in the country.

In addition to their traditional brick and mortar stores that dot the country, the Nordstrom website carries an even larger selection of ugg shoes and boots. One advantage of purchasing your ugg boots through a nationally recognized department store is the guarantee of authenticity.

Although these boots generally are more expensive than those advertised on the World Wide Web, you can rest assured that you are purchasing a genuine Ugg product.

* Online Specialty Shops *

Not all internet retailers are irresponsible, as most are completely reputable. Especially when you visit the authorized website for ugg boots and shoes, you can be certain that your purchase is authentic.

Coming all the way from Australia, the footwear and accessories on the main ugg website may be your best bet when you are looking for those hard to find styles of boots, shoes, or accessories.

Many internet-based auction sites promise super low prices on ugg boots and shoes. However, the actual products up for sale in many of these auctions are actually lookalikes instead of the real McCoy.

Although the footwear may look like authentic uggs, the construction and materials are of much less quality than the typically superior uggs. The high quality construction and materials are one of the reasons why Uggs are so popular (and also so expensive).

Furthermore, your knock off uggs will not wear as comfortably as actual uggs, so in effect, you are spending your money on something that looks similar to ugg footwear, but is far from the actual shoe or boot.

There are many places to purchase Ugg name brand boots on the retail market, but not all of this fancy footwear is authentic. Many individuals wonder where to buy Ugg boots without getting an unexpected bonus—a fake!

If you are concerned about purchasing authentic boots, consider the following tips to make sure that your footwear is guaranteed real and certainly not a cheap rip off.

Since these boots are typically more expensive than other types of boots of similar makeup, so it is crucial that your extra bucks are paying for something actual.

* National Retailers *

The most popular answer to the where to buy ugg boots question is national retailers.

Popular department stores like Macys and those in the May Company family of stores regularly carry a stock of these boots.

One of the best sources for ugg boots is the department store giant Nordstrom. Since Nordstrom originally began as a shoe store, it is completely appropriate that Nordstrom carries one of the largest selections of ugg footwear in the country.

In addition to their traditional brick and mortar stores that dot the country, the Nordstrom website carries an even larger selection of ugg shoes and boots. One advantage of purchasing your ugg boots through a nationally recognized department store is the guarantee of authenticity.

Although these boots generally are more expensive than those advertised on the World Wide Web, you can rest assured that you are purchasing a genuine Ugg product.

* Online Specialty Shops *

Not all internet retailers are irresponsible, as most are completely reputable. Especially when you visit the authorized website for ugg boots and shoes, you can be certain that your purchase is authentic.

Coming all the way from Australia, the footwear and accessories on the main ugg website may be your best bet when you are looking for those hard to find styles of boots, shoes, or accessories.

Many internet-based auction sites promise super low prices on ugg boots and shoes. However, the actual products up for sale in many of these auctions are actually lookalikes instead of the real McCoy.

Although the footwear may look like authentic uggs, the construction and materials are of much less quality than the typically superior uggs. The high quality construction and materials are one of the reasons why Uggs are so popular (and also so expensive).

Furthermore, your knock off uggs will not wear as comfortably as actual uggs, so in effect, you are spending your money on something that looks similar to ugg footwear, but is far from the actual shoe or boot.

Badec Bros Deco has manufactured a wide range of impressive Cubedec pots over the past 2 years. We recently combined our stylish Cubedec A pots with mild steel Cubedec pedestals, to decorate the garden of a client.

Our Cubedec A pots and Cubedec pedestals are manufactured from 1,6mm mild steel sheets, which we fold and weld. All our pots are manufactured with a round inner steel bar to support plastic planters, which come standard with all our pots, unless otherwise specified.

You can choose between three finishes for your Cubedec pot: rusted, mild steel finish, or powder coating in any colour you can dream of. Our powder coating is SABS approved. Once the chosen finish has been applied, we seal the pot to protect it from rusting. We can customize these stylish planters to any size and shape and finish them off in a wide range of materials. We can also manufacture these pots and pedestals from grade 304 stainless steel. Other decorative options include mosaic cladding, wooden cladding and even laser-cut signage or designs in the steel.

Should you wish to have your very own signature Cubedec A pot and pedestal combination, Cubedec bench with your laser-cut logo, modern pergola, Cubedec steel dustbin, interactive sculpture, Cubedec shelving, Cubedec miniature Zen garden box, 2010 Soccer World Cup décor, mild steel lamp shade, mild steel screen, gabion counter, narration stand, gabion light cage, gabion bollard, gabion water feature, sculptured living wall, sculptured flagpoles, unique pot and drip tray, customized sculpture, trendy steel décor with your company logo emblazoned on it, mild steel inspirational slogan, steel laser-cut signage, mild steel mould, Cubedec Pot, hanging sculpture, gabion pot, gabion wall or gabion terrace, wooden or steel feature poles, bar code trellis, Cubedec water feature, arch, sculpture or trellis, please feel free to contact our energetic and knowledgeable sales representative, Mareleen van Zijl, on her cell phone at 078 800 5112, the office number at 012 460 7990, or via e-mail at mareleen@badecbros.com

She will gladly arrange an appointment with you to listen to your ideas and to stun you with our own creative ideas! You dream it, we manufacture it!

Badec Bros Deco will create a 3 dimensional render and calculate a quotation FREE OF CHARGE for you! We can deliver your unique Badec Bros Deco product(s) within 10 to 15 working days, upon acceptance of the design and quotation and the required 50% deposit. These services come standard and will not cost you a cent extra! We offer a 1 year guarantee on all our products.

Plans in the Queen’s Speech to guarantee rights for parents over their children’s schooling could end in court cases, warn head teachers…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: seminars. The blog is also related to: education.

As you know by now, Badec Bros Deco also specializes in steel dustbins. These designer dustbins are ideal to add stunning focal points to your home or for use in a trendy shopping centre or mall. We really love a creative challenge and excel at designing and creating customized exterior or interior décor pieces for your home, office or garden, such as innovative mild steel pots, trendy garden benches, artistic trellises, arches and pergolas, as well as, imaginative sculptures. Our creative team can dream up and manufacture any type of décor that your heart desires and customize it to your specifications – size, shape and colour. We use a wide variety of mediums to create our master pieces, including mild steel, stainless steel, wood, sandstone, plexiglas, mosaic tiling and the like. We manufacture our steel dustbins from mild steel and can add intricate detail to the surface to beautify it. There are three finishes to choose from. We can powder coat your contemporary steel dustbin in any colour imaginable, or we can apply a mild steel finish or a rusted finish. It is possible to manufacture your unique steel dustbin according to the exact dimensions you require.

Our powder coating is SABS approved.

Should you wish to have your very own signature Cubedec steel dustbin, interactive sculpture, Cubedec shelving, Cubedec miniature Zen garden box, 2010 Soccer World Cup décor, mild steel lamp shade, mild steel screen, Cubedec laser-cut logo, gabion counter, narration stand, gabion light cage, gabion bollard, gabion water feature, sculptured living wall, sculptured flagpoles, unique pot and drip tray, customized sculpture, Cubedec bench, trendy steel décor with your company logo emblazoned on it, mild steel inspirational slogan, steel laser-cut signage, mild steel mould, Cubedec Pot, hanging sculpture, gabion pot, gabion wall or gabion terrace, wooden or steel feature poles, bar code trellis, Cubedec water feature, pergola, arch, sculpture or trellis, please feel free to contact our energetic and knowledgeable sales representative, Mareleen van Zijl, on her cell phone at 078 800 5112, the office number at 012 460 7990, or via e-mail at mareleen@badecbros.com 

She will gladly arrange an appointment with you to listen to your ideas and to stun you with our own creative ideas! You dream it, we manufacture it!

Badec Bros Deco will create a 3 dimensional render and calculate a quotation FREE OF CHARGE for you! We can deliver your unique Badec Bros Deco product(s) within 10 to 15 working days, upon acceptance of the design and quotation and the required 50% deposit. These services come standard and will not cost you a cent extra! We offer a 1 year guarantee on all our products.

Plans in the Queen’s Speech to guarantee rights for parents over their children’s schooling could end in court cases, warn head teachers…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: special education. The blog is also related to: schools.

The creative team at Badec Bros Deco was recently commissioned to manufacture a stainless steel, cascading water feature for a client. Firstly, we created seven Cubedec B pots – troughs – in varying dimensions from grade 304 stainless steel.

The stainless steel sheets were folded and welded together along a single seam line, to create a flawless overall appearance. Once all of the troughs were manufactured, we installed the water feature on site, with the lowest trough being filled with black pebbles.

We can also manufacture this stunning water feature from mild steel and finish it in one of three finishes, namely: a mild steel finish, rusted finish and powder coating finish. There are literally hundreds of different colours to choose from for your powder coating finish and this finish is SABS approved. Our Cubedec water features can be customized to any size and shape. As our CEO, Edrich Badenhorst likes to say; “The sky is not the limit.”

Please feel free to contact us with your ideas and we will be sure to bring them to fruition. We love a creative challenge!

Should you wish to have your very own signature Cubedec water feature, 3 dimensional garden sculpture, 3 dimensional signage, slim mirror pot, Cubedec bench with your laser-cut logo, modern pergola, Cubedec steel dustbin, interactive sculpture, Cubedec shelving, Cubedec miniature Zen garden box, 2010 Soccer World Cup décor, mild steel lamp shade, mild steel screen, gabion counter, narration stand, gabion light cage, gabion bollard, gabion water feature, sculptured living wall, sculptured flagpoles, unique pot and drip tray, customized sculpture, trendy steel décor with your company logo emblazoned on it, mild steel inspirational slogan, steel laser-cut signage, mild steel mould, Cubedec Pot, hanging sculpture, gabion pot, gabion wall or gabion terrace, wooden or steel feature poles, bar code trellis, arch, sculpture or trellis, please feel free to contact our energetic and knowledgeable sales representative, Mareleen van Zijl, on her cell phone at 078 800 5112, the office number at 012 460 7990, or via e-mail at mareleen@badecbros.com

She will gladly arrange an appointment with you to listen to your ideas and to stun you with our own creative ideas! You dream it, we manufacture it!

Badec Bros Deco will create a 3 dimensional render and calculate a quotation FREE OF CHARGE for you! We can deliver your unique Badec Bros Deco product(s) within 10 to 15 working days, upon acceptance of the design and quotation and the required 50% deposit. These services come standard and will not cost you a cent extra! We offer a 1 year guarantee on all our products.

For most businesses I’ve encountered, the greatest improvement in marketing would simply be to start tracking your ROI. In other words, you need to know your cost/lead and cost/sale for each marketing project. I address this concept in detail in my blog on Scientific Advertising.  Keep in mind that simply asking your customers “how did you hear about us?” can be somewhat futile (though it’s better than nothing). Michael Corbett suggests simply watching your sales to see if they go up with your current marketing or stay flat. To me that seems like a rather unscientific approach since that doesn’t tell you which marketing produced the results and there are  more factors than marketing alone that can affect sales.

There are a handful of marketing books in my Recommended Reading section, in addition to My Life in Advertising and Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins, so I’m not going to directly address the difference between good and bad marketing. After all, no one knows exactly what will generate the best response until it’s tested and measured.

That being said, here are a few marketing pointers in addition to knowing your numbers:

1. Have a Unique Selling Proposition that sets you apart from all of your competitors. In other words, create a niche only you can fill.
2. Know and understand your target audience. You can have the best offer, and the best advertisement in the world, but if it’s directed to the wrong audience you’ll get zero results. Spend the most marketing time on getting your message to the right people!
3. Keep a detailed customer database so you can cross-market constantly. If someone has bought from you once before, they are MUCH more likely to buy from you again. If you don’t have a database (or your not using the one you have) change that immediately!
4. Offer a guarantee. If your products are either more expensive than most, or can’t be touched by the consumer prior to purchasing (such as with internet sales) you MUST have an iron-clad guarantee to assuage their fears. This must demonstrate that you’re the best and the customer has nothing to risk.

Since we’re looking for quick fixes, I’m going to stop the list there. If you do those things, you’ll notice results almost instantly.

On the sales side, you need to again, learn your numbers. Am I getting that point across fully yet? Whether you realize it or not, in your sales cycle, there are many steps. Let’s take a retail clothing store for example. What are the steps a shopper takes?

1. Window browsing – How do we get them to actually walk into the store? A lot of retailers put up blinds behind the window manequins so people have to actually walk in to see what else is available.
2. Entering the store – How do we get them to spend time looking around? Depending on your clientelle, music can make a huge difference as to whether they hang around a while or not.
3. Perusing certain racks or aisles – How do we get them to see the most we have to offer? Most retail stores put the clearance and discounted rack at the back so you have to walk all the way through to find the great deals.
4. Trying clothes on – How do we get them to go to the dressing room? Keep in mind, people can only try on or buy as much as they can physically carry. Make it easy for customers to carry more with helpful sales associates and people will buy more. Paco Underhill addresses this in magnificent detail in Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping.
5. Buying – How do we get them to come back? Are we getting their name and email address for our database?

So why do we break that up into so many steps? Because if you don’t, you have no idea which steps you need to improve. I’ve heard of a retail store that learned that around 80% of people who try something on will buy it. So they didn’t work on directing people to the cash register, they worked on getting potential customers to the changing rooms.

Every business has a series of steps in their sales cycle. You need to learn and track each of those steps for your business and then systematically improve the conversion rate for each one.

That was  a retail environment, so let’s consider a service based business. What possible steps do we have for them?

1. Inquiry – via phone, web, or walk-in
2. Service Pitch/Presentation – Are you skipping this step? If people call your plumbing business and ask what it costs to unclog a toilet, do you just tell them or do you first tell them why you are their best option with your guaranteed time, flat-rate billing, and professional staff?
3. Price Quote/Estimate - Are you building value along with this quote (particularly if it’s in writing) to back up your pricing?
4. Commitment to Purchase – If the commitment isn’t made immediately are you leaving them PLENTY of information to convince them you’re their best option? My business has a 24 page “leave-behind” packet for just such instances.
5. Delivery of Service – Are you delivering exactly what you said? Particularly if you only get paid once your service is complete.
6. Payment – Do you have simple payment options and are you asking for payment immediately upon completion so as not to tie up your office staff trying to collect money?
7. Follow-up – Did you get their name, phone, address, and email for your database? Did you call or visit them again after completion to make sure they were completely satisfied? Did you ask for testimonials or referrals?

As you can see, there are a lot of steps in this process as well and at any step along the way you can lose potential clients. That’s obviously why tracking the number of customers who make it to each step is so important!

A couple of things you can do to help improve each step in the process:

1. Have excellent training for each person involved in sales including detailed scripts, role-playing, and NLP training.
2. Incentivize and develop some competition. People like to know someone else notices that they are the best at what they’re doing.
3. Have an outside company shop your business and report back what they find.
4. Record phone calls, conversations, and customer interactions (after checking with your lawyer of course) to look for opportunities for improvement.
5. Provide on-hold and/or in-store marketing over the speaker system. I know the “blue-light” specials weren’t enough to save Kmart, but I’m not claiming that’s all you need to do for your business either.
6. Create your story portraying your commitment to customer service, quality, community involvement, and excellence. Make it available in your store, restaurant, business, and on your website. People love buying from places where they feel a part of something.
7. Include testimonials everywhere! Put them in your store, on your website, in your marketing, on your thank you cards… heck, you can even put them on your receipts.

In my experience with over 100 small businesses, I don’t know of anyone, myself included, who is doing all of these things well. In my defense, I do know what I have to do and one-by-one I’m crossing them off of my list.

We’re on Part 4 right now so you should have quite a long To-Do list written down, right? If not, go get a piece of paper and a pen, review my last 4 blogs and start writing. After I post my last blog on this topice (Part 5) you’ll now have a complete list that you can prioritize and start addressing.

To your sales and marketing success, Bryan

Your gift comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.  If your wife or girlfriend is even slightly disenchanted with a particular selection, Kathy will exchange it for something she is totally in love with.  Just pick up the phone and call Kathy.

Reserve Your 12 Days of Romance Now

We could include a checklist for you to tell us about this special woman, but that would be totally impersonal.  Kathy wants to speak with you personally.  Kathy serves her customers well and she maintains an adequate amount of product in stock.  She aims to deliver within 48 hours.  This is a busy season for her, so don’t wait.  Call her today to reserve your order.  Payment by check or credit card.

Call now to reserve your package.

Kathy Baker, 913-766-3027

Email Kathy a Note with Your Questions