Why your sales success isn’t dependent on always getting “yes”

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Hot off the SMB press this week: 

• Set up your business’ local SEO process with this template.
• Plus, additional tips for ranking higher in your local search results.
• The importance of update reminders for employee training (and how to set them up).
• And turning every “yes” — and “no” — into sales success.

STARTER PACK

Template of the week: Local SEO Process

When you need to find a business… in your neighborhood… who you gonna call?

Google, Bing, Yelp — AKA, any search engine where you can type “[insert business type] near me.” And if you’re going to the internet to find the best solution for your needs, chances are your own potential customers are doing the same. And that means you need your local business to show up in those search results — ideally, first.

How, you ask? You need to start prioritizing local search engine optimization (SEO) — a strategy that helps your business become more visible in local online search results. And what better way to consistently monitor and improve your results than with a standardized process?

🔎 Enter our Local Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Process template. Update it with your company’s unique procedures, and it’s ready to share with your team — and get your business connected with your local customers.

Want more templates to help you build your business playbook? Check out our entire template archive of free, multimedia-enhanced, and customizable policy, process, and role starters. New to Trainual? Get a demo.

WHERE ART THOU, BUSINESS?

Got a local business? Get more online searches with these low-budget SEO strategies.

Everyone wants to be the popular kid.
Especially if popularity means getting more customers and increasing your revenue. And if you serve a specific geographical area, that means you need to get visibility in front of your local community.

Good news: If you want to rank higher locally, get more foot traffic, or up the number of five-star reviews on Google, take a look at these low-budget SEO strategies:

1. Go for geo-specific keywords.
You don’t need to reach people in Japan if you only do business in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Good thing, too — getting high rankings for SEO keywords on a local level is much easier than trying to fight corporations with big SEO budgets.

So, when it comes to optimizing your website content, go for keywords that emphasize your location. You’ll probably rank much higher for “paper company Scranton” than just “paper company.” (Or, you can go a step further and name your restaurant “Thai Food Near Me.”)

2. Get eyes on your local directory listings.
When people search for specific businesses, they’ll likely find results from Google My Business, Yelp, and Bing Places for Businesses — and that means, you need to ensure that your business is not only popping up in those results, but that your information is consistent across the board.

Double-check that you have the right business name, hours of operation, contact info, and location. Consistency can increase your chances of ranking well. Plus, incentivize your current customers to leave you glowing reviews — this not only builds trust with prospective customers, but can also influence the search engine algorithm.

👉 Find more local SEO tips.

TRAINUAL TIPS & TRICKS

How to set reminders to update subjects in Trainual

It’s not uncommon for policies and processes to get out of date over time. After all, your business is constantly evolving, and with it, guidelines and best practices change, too. 

So how do you make sure your content in Trainual stays up to date through this evolution? Well, there’s a new way to remind yourself (or a team member) to check a subject for accuracy every so often. Introducing: content verification reminders.

Just like it sounds, you can now verify a subject (telling your team the subject is up to date) for a period of time. And when that time runs out, you’ll get a reminder to make sure it still reflects current best practices. The subject will display as “unverified” until you look it over, make edits as needed, and verify it again.

Setting up content verification reminders is easy. First, head to a subject and assign it an owner. (This person will be in charge of keeping it up to date.) Then, head to advanced subject settings and check the box next to “Set a reminder to periodically verify content.” You can then set the number of days you’d like the content to remain verified before the subject owner has to check it for accuracy again. 

👉 See how to set a reminder to update a subject.

Psst… hey you! We’re releasing exclusive Trainual tips and tricks on LinkedIn. Follow for more best practices.

FRESH PERSPECTIVE

Why a ‘no’ can be a good thing in sales

But the whole goal of sales is to get a “yes.”
You do want to hear that resounding “yes” after a sales pitch. But only seeking a “yes” is rather short-sighted. In fact, most salespeople have a less than 50% close rate, meaning that seeking this as your ultimate measure of success will only lead to disappointment.

So what should I focus on instead?
Pivot your focus to simply getting an answer. When you do this, you’ll not only reframe your outlook on success, but you’ll have a clearer direction for next steps after getting your answer.

Here’s how: Let’s say you get a “no.” Accepting the “no” and moving on will allow you to move on and put your effort towards more promising leads. When you waste time and resources trying to turn a “no” into a “yes” you might miss out on an opportunity for a real “yes” — someone who is better suited for your products or services.

And speaking of which, it’s important to discern good leads from bad leads when you’re filling up your sales pipeline. If you’re pressuring your salespeople to maintain a full pipeline (even if it’s filled with unqualified leads), it’s time to stop. Retaining leads that don’t align with your ideal customer profile ultimately hinders the overall efficiency of your sales process. 

But what if my close ratio goes down?
It's key to move through leads quickly, but not if it means messing up your chances of closing deals. Balancing speed and efficiency with getting those wins is crucial. And you should maintain a close eye on your close ratio to ensure it stays the same (or improves) with your new perspective of a “win.”

👉 More on reframing your perspective of a win in sales.