NY Report's 2009 Success Guide

Sure, times are tough. But there are businesses that thrived in 2008. To kick off the new year, we’ve asked your peers about their routes to success. Among the many ideas we received, we selected the best of the best to share with you in the areas of sales, marketing, human resources and more. Maybe some of the following tips can help you improve your own business – but they are out there. Take direction from some who have discovered ways to find success – our readers.

My best sales tip is...
Not letting up despite your ups and downs in mood, circumstance or results. Set a minimum threshold for the number of calls/contacts you’ll make per week, and hit or exceed that threshold every week. Include follow-ups with people whom you couldn’t reach earlier and those who said, “Call back in two weeks.” Persistence and consistency will pay off in the long haul.
 —Chuck Graziano, president, The Alternative Board, Bergen County, N.J.

Know your prospective client, know the competitive landscape in which they operate and start each sales meeting with questions that will elicit needs that your firm can address.
—RuthAnne Dreisbach, president, Dreisbach Design, Inc., New York City

Don’t be afraid to ask for the order or to discuss the cost or price of the investment.
—Calvin Beatty, managing principal, Soundview Partners, LLC, Iselin, N.J.

At a time when everyone is worried about the cost of products and services, I advise NOT to slash prices. This only makes your original price appear to have been too high.
—Alan Siege, owner, Small Business Management Consulting, Park Slope, Brooklyn

Be a resource for your prospect or client. If you don’t have the right product or fit, find someone who does. If you can help a prospect or client with a particular need, even one that may be outside of your normal course of business, that prospect or client will come to rely on you for other help. By being a resource, you are opening the door for other phone calls and discussions, and developing a closer relationship as a result. Over time, you may develop some business from the relationship.
—Martha Stark, senior vice president, Signature Bank, New York City and Garden City, N.Y.

Be smart, not greedy. Don’t try to retire off one client. Instead, build a foundation on which you’ll achieve your net revenue objectives.
—Sean C. O’Rourke, principal, Syzygy 3, Inc., New York City

Do specific things to be at your personal best — specifically, keep yourself in a positive space so you can recognize the opportunities hidden in this downturn economy and go after them.
—Norma V. Rosenberg, CEO coach and Vistage Chair, Vistage International, New York City

Be sure to respect the client’s time. Google and research clients and prospects before you visit them. Listen intensively to what they tell you, then speak to their needs. Let the client see that you are an expert in their business.
—Dinaldo Khanii, president, Leisure Management Inc., Riverdale, N.Y.

My sure-fire sales close is . . .

Flexibility in product — we offer the client the ability to do a sample or taste test. Then we get our clients’ feedback without taking on a big commitment. Clients are usually willing to choose us because of that.
—Fran Biderman-Gross. CEO and founder, Advantages, Queens, N.Y.

I tend to tell prospects that it is OK if they don’t want our service — almost like I take the offer away. As a result, they usually ask me to buy my service.
—Jennifer Walzer, CEO, Backup My Info!, New York City

I set expectations immediately and I take the pressure off the interaction by telling prospects that I’m taking off my sales hat and we’re having a conversation, not a sales meeting. I want to know about them and let them know about me. I tell them that at the end of the meeting, I’ll ask them if they’d like to discuss moving forward and that it’s OK to say no. My candor builds a relationship and disarms prospects. If they’ve been properly pre-qualified I usually close the sale.
—Deb Dib, CEO brand and career strategist, Executive Power Brand, Metro New York

Hand-deliver all contract agreements to review service deliverables, terms and conditions, and pricing. Leave that meeting with a set date and time for a follow-up conversation to close.
—Chris Zawacki, partner, Greenhouse IT, New York City

My best marketing tip is . . .

Be real; check that your own brand really reflects who you are and reflects your energy, attitudes, intention, desire, enthusiasm and passion.
—Mary van de Wiel, founder, brand analyst, New York City

In a slow economy you have to continue marketing more than ever, but you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Go back to the days when you were just starting your business and you didn’t have a big marketing budget. What did you do then to get your business to this point?
—Nicole McCullum, founder, Captivate Designs, New York City