Author Archive
Elevator Pitch
Alicia Dietrich of Mac-O-Rama, www.macorama.com, tried out her 30-second pitch at a recent presentation. Quite a few people asked for her business card.
Sales Call Guide
Nancy Olsen of M3 Planning, www.m3planning.com, has developed a sales call guide using questions she learned to prepare in one of the recent Make the Sale! workshops. She feels much better prepared for sales calls. She also completed a task she had wanted to do for some time – categorizing her contacts so she could share them with her company to the benefit of all.
New Contracts Signed
Front Office Staff, www.frontofficestaff.com, signed three new contracts this week reports co-owner, Loretta Bonilla.
Advanced Bookings Looking Good
Ken Stebbins of Camelot Party Rentals, www.camelotpartyrentals.biz, announced that he had attended three networking events in one week. Way to go, Ken! Last week Ken reported that March sales were up 40% from 2009, but it has gotten better – through the end of March sales are up 60% over last year. Advanced bookings through the summer indicate sales will be 34% over the same period last year.
Sales Calls Pay Off for Integris Marketing
Blair O’Neil of Integris Marketing, www.integrismarketing.com, reported that he dedicated time today for sales calls. It paid off in two closed sales!
Asking for Referrals
John Allen, owner of Carvel Painting, www.carvelpainting.com, was walking a project in Fallon when the program manager for the living center was also walking the job. The carpenters praised the painter on the job – Carvel Painting. John then asked the program manager for a referral to an upcoming Elko living center job.
Word of Mouth Advertising
Alicia Dietrich of Mac-O-Rama, www.macorama.com, has been selected to serve on the board of the Reno/Tahoe AMA as Vice President of Special Events. She also talked about Gas Pedal, a company that teaches word-of-mouth and social media marketing. They have a free newsletter that gives ideas to help you become a better marketer.
Networking Success
John Allen, with Carvel Painting, www.carvelpainting.com, continues to find success with a professional group he formed that continues to bring referrals to Carvel.
The group decided to build a mini house for the home show, showcasing all of their special talents. They also decided to drive traffic by holding a drawing in which they are giving away a flat screen TV.
Networking at Its Finest
Ken Stebbins received a sales call from Applied Staffing who wanted to come to Camelot Party Rentals, www.camelotpartyrentals.biz, and see if they could help with staffing needs. It turned into an opportunity to work together, and they gave Ken a substantial lead.
Asking for Referral While the Close is Fresh
Integris Marketing’s, www.integrismarketing.com, Co-Owner Jenna O’Neil is finishing a website and she asked the client for a referral. They said they knew of someone that needs her services since they had mentioned needing a new website. Better yet, they are a target market for Integris Marketing and the client is happy to introduce Jenna.
Positive Affirmation=Success
Loretta Bonilla of Front Office Staff, www.frontofficestaff.com, realized that having a positive attitude goes a long way. She had received a phone call about a client phasing out their business. Loretta felt like she was losing a friend, but she knew there would be other opportunities.
Yet not a half hour later, she learned a client wanted to expand the services they currently had from Front Office Staff.
But that’s not all. Then a previous client called stating that they wanted to come back, and will return April to sign a new contract.
Thinking Outside the Box
Jenna O’Neil of Integris Marketing, www.integrismarketing.com, pondered how she could help a vendor that has a lackluster website. She decided to approach the client in terms of understanding the websites’ limitations and desire for them to have a great website. She secured them as a new client and they will make the switch either in April or May.
Referral Calls Pay Off
Integris Marketing’s Co-Owner and Creative Director, Blair O’Neil, www.integrismarketing.com, is buried in follow-up calls from all his lead generated referrals. He is consumed with sales calls, writing proposals, and may need help with follow-up calls soon. Blair also reported 8 secured jobs, 4 web design clients, and 4 web hosting clients. Blair is becoming quite the “rain maker”!
Front Office Staff-Wants to Do It All.
Loretta Bonilla, www.frontofficestaff.com, isn’t afraid to pick up the phone, and follow up with potential prospects. She has reported that her appointment book is filled with interviews, and right now there are 4 people she is prospecting with. Loretta is also asking for referrals on a regular basis, and her clients are providing more leads for Front Office Staff.
Networking Leads to New Client
Ken Stebbins, www.camelotpartyrentals.com, attended the Sparks Chambers’ BizTalk Blender. Ken received a phone call from someone he had met at the networking event that resulted in 5 orders.
M3Planning Presentation a Slam Dunk
Nancy Olsen, www.m3planning.com, despite many glitches in technology pulled off a flawless presentation to an international technology firm, securing a client that many would love to call their own. Since Nancy is scheduling more time to follow up with prospective clients, she was able to secure another new client as well.
The Reno “Front Office Staff” Team Signs National Client
Loretta Bonilla of Front Office Staff Reno has just signed a new contract with a national CPA firm. She is also developing a list of her target markets and finding networking groups and organizations where she hopes to make brief presentations of how Front Office Staff can help their businesses.
Loretta reports a shift in confidence since starting Make the Sale!
New Carvel Painting Website Generates Leads
John Allen of Carvel Painting says his new website has already brought in a new client and he expects it to generate many leads. He also led in the formulation of the “Professionals”, a group of well qualified and trusted contractors that he is pleased to refer to anyone who is looking for a contractor for any size project.
Stebbins Invited to Attend WIN Breakfast
Ken Stebbins of Camelot Party Rentals has been invited to attend the exclusive upcoming WIN Breakfast. He is looking forward to networking with the large group of attendees at this power breakfast for local business leaders.
Party Rental Bookings Up
Camelot Party Rentals’ bookings are up 30% over last year’s for a great start to 2010. Ken Stebbins also reported they will be working with sponsors and the City of Genoa who will be hosting the Genoa Cowboy Poetry & Music Festival in May. Ken also received eight calls for his services, two of which look like hot leads.
Carvel Painting Hires Salesperson
Carvel Painting CEO, John Allen, reported his new foreman is out selling. He’s using his connections from the Bay Area to find leads and has secured a camp-ground building in California as well as a very good prospect of a new residence to be built in Incline Village.
Office Survives CEO Absence
Alicia Dietrich reported her office was still standing when she returned to work following a bad respiratory cold. Speedy recovery, Alicia, and congratulations on a staff that can carry on!
NAIFA Presentation
This past week Loretta Bonilla of Front Office Staff gave a presentation to a crowd of insurance agents and financial advisors at the NAIFA Conference held here in Reno. She practiced her presentation with the Make the Sale partici-pants the day before and incorporated tips she had learned to tighten up the presentation. While waiting for her turn, she heard part of the guest speaker’s address about taking quality time to understand your clients. She incorporated his comment into her presentation before introducing one of her satisfied clients who gave a testimonial to the quality of service pro-vided by Front Office Staff. The result was a minimum of six qualified prospects. Way to go, Loretta!
Sales Calling on Steroids
Talk about number of sales calls! Aimee Wittler of Alice Heiman, LLC made 500 sales calls in less than 20 hours for a client. She hopes her detailed messages will bring sales to RS Wait. Her conversations led to good leads for RS Wait as well as an updated database for future use.

