StartSLC is going to be EPIC!

StartSLC is a 3 day tech festival that will be happening in the silicon slopes or as some may know it as Utah from January 29th-31st. Silicon slopes has been turning into the new silicon valley, with great opportunities for entrepreneurs to start companies in Utah and the tech community that already surrounds the state it is the perfect place of an amazing tech festival.

If you are an entrepreneur, techie, or business person you will not want to miss this awesome fun events that will happen during the tech festival StartSLC. Here are some of the awesome events you will want to put on your schedule.

January 29th, 2015

1. Kickoff Party 7pm-11:30pm. Location: Church and State building

January 30th, 2015

1. SLC Angels Pitch Session 1pm-4pm. Location: The Gateway
2. Ping Pong Tournament 9am-1pm. Location: The Gateway
3. Startup Grind (Google for Entrepreneurs) 3pm-5pm Location: The Gateway
4. Launchup (Barn Raising for Entrepreneurs) 7pm-9pm Location: The Gateway

January 31st, 2015

1. Kickstarter Alley 8am-5pm Location: The Gateway
2. Family Tech Day 9am-5pm Location: The Gateway
3. Sustainable Startups series 12pm-1pm Location: The Gateway
4. Pocket Film Fest 3pm-5pm Location: The Gateway
5. $250,000 Pitch Competition 6pm-8pm Location: The Gateway
6. Final Utah Startup Awards 8pm-9:30pm Location: The Gateway

These are just some of the events that will happen over this three day period, it really is going to be should I say EPIC!!! So mark your calendars now for these dates and attend some of these awesome one of a kind events. For more info check out StartSLC.com.

Sincerely,

SalesFinch
 

10 steps to starting a business

Businesses are not an easy task, but it makes it a lot easier if you have a great idea. This short blog will give you a couple of simple steps to help you get your business off the ground and headed toward success. Once you have the idea for a business follow these steps to turn the idea into reality.

1. Come up with a name for the business.
2. Next you need a logo.

• Sites like www.logomaker.com can be a great source to give you some ideas and they have lots of pre-designed logos. 
• If you have a little extra cash and can pay a freelance graphic designer between $100-$200 bucks for a logo that is an even better option because then it becomes more personal.

     3.Then start writing your business plan there are lots of great tools to help write and structure your business plan. Check out www.sba.gov/tools/business-plan/1

     4. Once you have a plan in place begin validating your idea by asking friends, families, and strangers if they would buy, or use your product or service.

     5. Get a prototype of product, website, or equipment needed for the product or service

     6. Register the business

      7. Set up bank account

      8. Get final products and or services ready for market

      9. Begin marketing the product or service (Social media, trade shows, online ads, etc.)

      10. Most important START SELLING!

Remember to keep revising the business plan and business model as you continue to grow. Once you start selling and are growing really fast there are always options to seek out an investment or financing. There are tons of entrepreneurs and it is a perfect time to start a business. If you have questions or comments please leave them below.

Thanks for reading
Sincerely,



SalesFinch

StartSLC.com Tech Startup Pitch Competition

I need to take a moment to write some exciting news on my blog about an event that will be happening in Utah January 2015.  This is an amazing opportunity, and the event is called StartSLC.

The event will take place from January 29th-31st the 3 day event will showcase some of Utah's greatest tech companies and entrepreneurs. There will be tons of activities to attend during the 3 day events that will bring together the community of hackers, designers, entrepreneurs, bloggers, and many others from within the Salt Lake City community. This event will help everyone build relationships with other entrepreneurs, business people, techies, and it will just be an amazing event for everyone in the community.

We all know that Utah is a big place for Tech start ups and this is just another event that will make tech start ups even more prevalent in Utah.

But here is the biggest news! At the event there will be a Pitching competition where tech start ups will have the opportunity to pitch their start up to a panel of judges that consist of Venture capitalists. The winner of the pitching event will win $150,000 dollars, the runner up will win $50,000, and the audience favorite will receive $50,000 dollars that's a total of $250,000 dollars given away at this event.

You do not want to miss this amazing event, whether you will be a spectator or a contestant. If you would like to apply for the pitch competition go to startslc.com and register by Dec. 15th 2014 for a chance at winning part of the $250,000 dollars prize money.

GOOD LUCK

Linkedin Networking

If you are reading this blog you may or may not have a LinkedIn account. If you don't I recommend getting one. You may be thinking I don't need to network or I am not looking for a new job or I am a stay at home mom/dad. Well no matter what your excuse you need a LinkedIn account and here is why......

LinkedIn is the largest professional social networking site, which allows users to connect with people they never thought they could connect with. If you know Bob well Bob may know 500 more people and so on, you can build quiet the group of connections on LinkedIn. With those connections lead to other life opportunities like new job opportunities, volunteer events, social events, you name it and LinkedIn can help you reach new opportunities that would have never been possible without LinkedIn. Here are some simple easy steps to help grow you network with LinkedIn starting form the beginning:

1. Create a LinkedIn account for Free at www.LinkedIn.com
2. Use a good picture that shows your face well (No family pictures, kissy faces, etc.) Keep it simple
3. Update all of your information to the best of your knowledge. The more of your profile filled out the easier it will become to connect with people with similar interests.
4. Log on to LinkedIn a couple times a week if not every day take 2-3 minutes to go over the LinkedIn feed. Lots of great simple article on the feed.
5. Try to connect with 3-5 new people each day, in time you will grow your network to thousands of people.
6. Don't be afraid to post something like a motivational quote that you like
7. Don't be afraid to message people in your network if you have a question for them like if they know of any positions in their company or if they ever need your service to message you.

These are 7 simple things you can do to grow your LinkedIn network that will begin to benefit you year after year. It is so easy and simple and anyone can do it you don't have to be outgoing and a extreme people person to be good at LinkedIn.

So log on and get networking!

Thank you for Reading



SalesFinch

Networking Tips

Have you ever been apart of a networking group or attended a networking event? If you have you may love it or you may get nervous about it. Networking groups or events can be a little nerve racking for a lot of people because it takes them out of their comfort zone and forces them to meet new people and talk about themselves. For some people it is just second nature to network, for those people you are lucky and keep up the great work. For those who struggle with networking her are some key points to help you succeed at networking so you can succeed at business.

Here are some key points to remember when networking:

• You are building relationships that will last
• You need to make yourself visible, Let people know who you are
• Practice Networking, the more you try networking the better you get at it (Practice Makes Perfect)
• Diversify your network, network with all types of people be as diverse as possible
• Maintain your network, Make sure you follow up with your network by phone, or email.
• Give to others, the more referrals you give the more you will get back

These are a couple of main points to help focus on when networking and building the networking relationships. I am part of a BNI networking group and it really is neat to meet other people and gain relationships and then give referrals as well as receive them. We are all in business to make money and we can all help each other in one way or another. If we work together we can all be successful.

Tip: If you are super shy and have no idea how you could ever network or strike up a conversation come up with 3 to 5 interesting points that you can bring up to talk about when meeting someone new. It can be something as simple as this is crazy weather we've been having and then talk about the weather. If you are prepared before hand it will help you become a good networker.

Networking all begins by opening your mouth and saying who you are.

Please check back next week for more from SalesFinch

Investigating Customer Needs and Wants

Its a rainy Saturday morning here in my home town and you can really tell fall is coming soon. But on to the topic of the day, Investigating the Customer Needs and Wants. Every customer you deal with in sales has different needs and wants. Some customers will want a leather coach that is brown, others will want the latest coach that reclines, has built in massagers, and everything in between. Everyone is different so that is why the investigation stage is so important, in order to help customers find the right product and make the sale.

When investigating you need to focus these 3 things:

• Find out facts
• Find out information
• Find out needs

If you follow these three things, it will help you find the customers hot buttons. Customers only care about 20% of the features of a product, but everyone's 20% is different so that is why investigation is so important. Here are some examples of investigation questions if you are selling carpet or flooring.

• What kind of project do you have going on remodel, new construction, or just new flooring?
• Are you looking for something with lighter or darker color tones?
• What color are your walls, cabinets, etc?
• Is it a high traffic area?

By asking questions like this no matter the product it will help you as a salesperson know what to show the customer and what will be best for their needs, but it will make life a lot easier for yourself because you won't have to try and guess what they want. Open you mouth and ask questions is the best and easiest thing you can do to lead a customer through the sales cycle and to the closing of the sale.

Thank you for reading another post from SalesFinch

Customer Service is a key to success

Customer service is one of those things that is talked about daily in any business whether you are selling ice cream cones or multimillion dollar products, customer service is key. The customer Hires you, they can fire you, and they pay you. So it is important that we handle our customers with care.

If we handle our customers with care we stand a better chance of growing the business than if we handled our customers with terrible care. People like to buy things from people and places that give them the best service. One great example of great customer service would be Chick-fil-a they have their whole company built around customers, and the customers needs and wants. They are all so nice and willing to serve you, and if you say "Thank You" they will always reply with "My Pleasure." Its a southern based company out of Georgia so I guess they have just brought the southern hospitality into the franchise model and executed it amazingly across the country. I am a Chick-fil-a customer because of their great food and their great service and clean facilities.

On the other hand if you handle customers poorly you are likely to never see them again, and probably never see their friends or family ever again as well. One unhappy customer can take a lot of your current customers away because of word of mouth and online reviews in todays world. I had a bad experience with customer service at a restaurant once in Heber, Utah. It was so bad I was blown away that they were still in business (It went out of business a couple months after we ate there). But if it was still in business I would never go back there ever again even if I was starving, the service was that bad.

Now if you are reading this blog I would like to extend an invitation to everyone. Take a moment to type in the comments companies you've had good customer service experiences with and also your experiences of bad customer service.

Thank you

NEVER QUIT, NEVER GIVE UP!

As I was scrolling through LinkedIn this morning, which I do everyday. I came across this great quote by Michael Jordan "If you quit once it becomes a habit, NEVER QUIT", and it just got me thinking about quitting and how we should always push on and never quit.

Life is hard whether it is work circumstances, family issues, world issues, you name it and you will find hardships and the many challenges in life. But the real challenge to the trials and hardships of life are that we have to push on never giving up to win the fight. Since this quote is by Michael Jordan lets talk about him for a moment. Michael Jordan is one the best basketball players of all time, he was absolutely amazing whether you like the Bulls or not you have to give respect to Michael Jordan. You probably know that Michael was cut from his high school basketball team. Yet he never quit and he pushed on and became one of the best basketball players ever. Once he had decided not to quit it was all upwards for him because it became a habit not to quit and to push himself even harder. His trials and hardships made him stronger and one of the best.

We can learn a lot from Michael for never quitting, we will be challenged in life, if you are starting a business for example and it fails, do you quit trying to fulfill your dream. NO! You get right back up and try again and learn from your mistakes. We need to take our short falls as learning experiences to push us to be better and help us, so we  don't make the same mistake twice. NEVER GIVE UP, is something my father always told me growing up so when I am faced with something hard and I want to quit I always remember those words NEVER GIVE UP!

Life is full of surprises, but just remember to NEVER QUIT, and NEVER GIVE UP, there is to many great things that come after the hard times or trials. Let us all push onwards and upwards.

 

Features Advantage Benefit Selling

Feature Advantage Benefit selling or better know as FAB presentations are a key in selling a product but a lot of sales professionals even ones that have been doing it a really long time make the common mistake of only Feature selling which is like you taking all the facts you know about the product and dumping it on their head without really knowing what they are interested in most.

When you do a good FAB presentation you will have already investigated and know the customers hot buttons, so you take the features that are most important to them and you give the advantage of the feature and how it will benefit the customer.

Lets say you are selling a car and it has All Wheel Drive which is really important to the customer because they live in the mountains where it snows a lot in the winter. You would explain to the AWD feature, and why it is better or the latest and greatest and then you tie it into the customer by giving them the benefit that they won't have to worry about getting stuck or something. A FAB on AWD could go something like this.

Salesperson: This has the latest smart AWD which allows the car to understand which wheels are slipping and how best to apply power to each wheel. The advantage to that is when you are going up those slick icy hills in the winter you won't have to worry about sliding back or getting stuck, that sure will be nice in the winter, won't it?

Customer: It sure will that is really cool.

You took the customers hot button explained it to them, gave them the advantages of that feature and then tied it into how it would benefit them when they own the product. As salespeople we get ahead of ourselves if we can just slow down and remember the simple steps we will be able to improve our sales. Share this and comment we would love to hear your feed back.

Thank you

Sincerely,

SalesFinch

Building Rapport and Trust

Whether you are at work or in the community there are always times to build rapport with people and also when building rapport you build trust. Building rapport is the glue of the relationship world and it is what helps us do business with others. You are more likely to do business with someone who you like, believe, and trust; and you gain those through building rapport.

The goal of rapport building is to make others feel comfortable. In business and sales you hear about building rapport almost daily. As a business person you have to be able to build rapport quickly so the person will trust you. Because when a person trusts you they are more likely to listen to what you have to say. I'm not saying rapport building is easy but there are a couple of simple steps you can follow to help you build rapport and gain trust faster.

1. Watch gestures and postures of the other person
2. Match gestures and posture (mirroring)
3. Listen for key words the other person is using
4. Match key words when speaking to person
5. Track key needs and concerns of the other person
6. Match key needs and concerns
7. Mostly find common ground and build on it

These are some simple steps you can follow to help you build relationships in business, sales, and just in life. The biggest things are to remember it is about the other person not yourself so you have to observe and listen. Listening is another topic we will touch on some other time, but just listening and responding appropriately will greatly improve any relationship. Take a moment to click on the link below and watch this brief video clip on how to build rapport more effectively.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU8VH6vurXg

Hard work often outperforms talent

We all have different talents in our lives. Some of us are awesome at sports and even go on to the big leagues, others of us are good at business, investing, sewing, cooking, you name it and there are tons of talents that we have been given. But that doesn't mean we cannot acquire new talents all the time, and we get those new talents from hard work and determination.

Hard work will often outperform talent, if you have a super talented basketball player and he is so good that they know he will go to the NBA but all the attention and people telling him he is so good keeps him from practicing as hard or as much. Then on the same team you have a player who is good but nothing special like the super talented player but he on the other hand practices super hard and practices when ever he can. Most times that mediocre player will develop to the level of the other player and become better or just as good. You hear of players all them time that are going to be so good but then they just don't keep up the hard work and before you know it they are playing in some D league overseas. Then you have those hidden stars that work their but off and become the best. Take Micheal Jordan for example he got cut from his high school basketball team but that didn't stop him he worked extra hard and became one of the best basketball players of all time. "Hard work will always beat talent when talent doesn't work hard" -Tim Notke.

But hard work and talent do not only refer to sports it is with anything you do in life. With your career even if you are not the most talented person at the job, with hard work you can beat the talented people and earn those promotions or bonuses. There is not substitute for hard work!

Leadership

As I sit here in my office wondering why it was such a hard week, and why it seemed like nothing could go right. I thought to myself over and over why are these problems happening and why can nothing go right. Well the answer that kept coming to my head was the lack of leadership and accountability.

Having leaders with in a business whether large or small is a way that companies can either succeed or fail. With out people to lead then there is no structure and most things can not survive without structure. Leaders are able to over see all of the aspects of the business, or the area which they are in charge of. When I say every business needs leaders not bosses. Bosses tend to put themselves on a alter and look down on others like poor people. Whereas if you have a true leader they are part of the team and the business they work along side you and not only do they care about their success they care about your success. Most really successful leaders care more about other people successes than they do their own successes because they know that if their team is being successful then they will be successful.  This picture below really depicts the point I am trying to get across. Leadership is not easy and takes a lot of effort and time so you do not become a boss. Successful companies rely on their leaders to lead them and the team members to success, a good leader is an absolute must in today's markets to succeed.

So if you are looking for those next leaders don't just hope that they will pop up out of no where, begin grooming the ones you feel would make the next great leaders; so that when you need that next big leader they will be there to help continue the growth of the company and of others. Business is not easy but it will only be harder without the right leaders and people in place.

Thank you for reading another blog by SalesFinch.com

Be happy with what you have!

I was on Linkedin this week and I came across this quote or saying that really hit me hard personally, so I have decided to share it with you today along with some other thoughts. It said "Be happy with what you have while working for what you want." It didn't say who coined this phrase so I can't give proper credit where credit is due, but this saying made me think how lucky I am to live where I do and have the opportunities that I have.

The United States of America has come to be know as the land of opportunity. People have migrated from all parts of the world to come try there hand at the American Dream. I am lucky enough to have been born here in the good ol' USA where I have had some many great opportunities to grow and develop that had I lived anywhere else I probably would never have had such opportunities. So since reading this saying I have thought to myself I need to be happy with what I have and where I am in my life personally and with my career. But at the same time keeping those high goals and aspirations for life in mind and working towards them as I also enjoy where I am at currently in life.

I have some large goals in life and I am working to reach them every day. I sometimes think to myself why am I not in a large company and in upper level management yet? or why have I not started a successful business yet? or why have I not made x amount of money yet? or why do I still have to drive an old beat up minivan? Have you ever thought this way before, because I do all the time, but I am trying to change this way of thinking.  As I think to myself and speak with my wonderful wife who keeps me in line, I am often reminded that I do have so much to be happy for, I have so much more than more people my same age have. I am still young and have a lot to do in my lifetime. I am only 25 and I will make a name for myself and continue day after day to develop and grow myself personally and my career. 

Life is here in the moment live it today, don't live in the past or to much in the future because if you do you could miss the bright moments and opportunities of today. 

Thank you for reading my rants please leave your comments.

Minimizing your digital footprint

With business and in life we are always on social media or some sort of digital device, posting, commenting, and sometimes even slightly stalking people, you know what I mean. Social media and this digital era has changed the way we communicate. We hardly ever write a letter to someone anymore, we just hop online and send them an email or message them on Facebook. If we want to talk with someone on the phone we don't call them that would be to easy. We have to text them 100 texts to tell them a story or get your point across, when if we just hit the dial button we could tell them the story or whatever you want to tell them in about 2 minutes rather than 2 hours.

This digital era is amazing and it has made our lives a lot easier in so many ways, but it has also taken away some human interactions that were nice to have like talking on the phone with someone for hours not just texting them wondering to yourself what did they really mean with that text. The phone call is just so clear to understand. This is particularly true for people who are dating or teenagers. I am married now thank goodness and I love my wife to death. But before I was married and I was dating and I would  be texting someone, and they would say something in texts and I would just think to myself what does this mean.....do they like me or not, do they want to hang out or are they sick or me. It was just so confusing and you can decipher a text message so many ways it drives you nuts. Now I'm not saying that texting is bad, but if we just picked the phone up sometimes it would be a lot more clear what the person was saying or feeling; because not only does someones words send a message, but there tone of voice sends a message as well.

Back to the texting issue really quick, with a text once you send it it is there forever it can be recovered even after you delete it. So there are some great up and coming companies that are trying to help us minimize our digital footprint to save us from future lawsuits, stealing of ideas, and so many other things. One of the big up and coming companies is called Cyber Dust. It is a messaging service that allows you to send a message to another Cyber Dust messenger and 24 seconds after the message is sent it disappears from your phone forever and 24 seconds after the message is read on the other phone it disappears forever as well, and if the message is screenshot you will be notified. The technology is great and is really going to benefit everyone especially those in business just to help you minimize your digital footprint. Mark Cuban is one of the founders of this amazing company so you know it is something good. Click the link below to learn more about this great app Cyber Dust. Then download it onto your smartphone to begin the process of reducing and minimizing your digital footprint.

There are also two short clip about Cyber Dust from Mark Cuban.

http://www.cyberdust.com/

Appreciation for others

So it is finally Monday the day that everyone has been waiting for right? Wrong most people are not excited to be at work after a great fun weekend. Even if you didn't do anything all weekend the last thing you want to think about is work and the week that is ahead of you. Now you may be one of those people that loves to work and get back to work but there is still something about Mondays that make you think to yourself here we go again.

Enough about Monday, today I would briefly like to talk about appreciation for others in the work place. There is a quote that says "a person who feels appreciated will always do more than expected" this is such and interesting quote and really makes you think about if you appreciate others or appreciate your employees. How often do you tell someone they did a good job? How often do you thank someone for doing something for you or someone else? If you are reading this and you cannot remember the last time you thanked someone for something in the workplace or told them they did a good job, then we need to work on changing that because a simple thank you or praise can go a long way to boosting someone up.

If someone comes to work and they are happy to be there because they know people appreciate them being their or appreciate their work then they will be a very productive employee because they feel valued and important, and EVERYONE wants to feel needed and important. So I extend a challenge to everyone! While at work this week find someone who did something for you or is doing a great job with their work and tell them thank you or how well they are doing and how much you appreciate what they do. With those simple words and praise you can boost your colleges and employees up to make work more enjoyable and more efficient. Take this challenge to show your appreciation and you will be amazed at the results. If you have a minute watch or listen to the clip from TEDx Talks about appreciation.

Thank you for reading until next week Have a great week and remember "A person who feels appreciated will always do more than expected"

The blog that inspires

Blogging is an interesting thing and it has changed the way a lot of us tell others about our lives. People use blogs to tell the world about themselves, whether that is personal or business related.

Businesses use these blogs to keep people informed and up-to-date on current or new products, events, you name it and a blog can be used to market it. I am now here on a blog, to help the normal person, the business person, the sales person, the mothers, the fathers, you name it. I am here to help the world get inspired, get motivated, learn new skills, and in the end help everyone be more successful

Business and Sales is a huge part of my life as it is for many of you. Do you realize that a majority of people are working in some sort of sales role. Now you may not think it is a sales role because your title isn't sales professional but everyone is selling themselves or something every single day. If you work at McDonald's you may not think you are a sales person but when someone orders and you reply would you like fries with that? You are selling them on the idea of getting fries. Now that is a simple non invasive sale that a lot of us don't even realize is selling.  Then you have your other sales people of the world like car sales people, real estate agents, and the list could go on and on. What about when you date or have an interview, are you not trying to sell yourself to that person or business. If you like a boy or girl, and you are going on a date with them, you get ready and prepare yourself to give your best impression so that they will like you. Really is what you are doing is selling them on the idea that you are a good fit for them. Sells do not always have the end result of the exchanging of money for a product or service. If I go into a business and sell myself to them that I am going to provide them with better service and products than the other guy then I am selling myself and what I stand for. With that they can like, believe and trust me, that way when I ask them for other sales that involve money, it comes easier because they are already sold on me.

Now again to the main point and enough with my rambling on about sales. This blog is a way for normal everyday people and even high end business or sales people to get motivated and inspired. You will also have the opportunity to learn the basics that can help you succeed and go that extra distance needed to be successful in today's market. So if you are ready for weekly motivation, inspiration, and great teachings then please take a moment every Monday and read this blog before you start of the long work week, and hopefully we can help you make that work week seem not so long in the end.

End thought