You may find some of these tips to be familiar. Maybe you practice some of them now. Or maybe they have slipped from your memory and your daily routine. Others may even be new to you. Whatever your circumstance, they're just as valid now as they ever were - and perhaps more relevant today than ever before. Put them to regular use and watch your sales, your profits and your customer loyalty increase to new heights.

Networking. Maybe one of the most overused and misunderstood words in the business lexicon. Certainly it's one of the most common - and possibly among the most effective - means of marketing yourself. Although it can be personally labor intensive, networking is generally cost effective. You don't need any special equipment and, with a little effort, networking skills are easily mastered.

The cost of finding new customers is estimated to be between 500% and 800% higher than that of repeat or additional sales to existing customers. With profitability, therefore, significantly higher when selling to existing customers, it's time to decide what kind of sales representative you want to be: transactional (hunter) or consultative (farmer).

Who likes to make cold calls, you might ask? The short answer is that there are probably few who relish the activity and fewer yet who are good at it.

I think we've all run into someone in our professional lives who seems to excel at cold calling - whether it's on the phone or in person. They seem to have a natural, relaxed approach to meeting prospects (or maybe I should say suspects) for the first time.

Networking. Maybe one of the most overused and misunderstood words in the business lexicon. Certainly it's one of the most common - and possibly among the most effective - means of marketing yourself. Although it can be personally labor intensive, networking is generally cost effective. You don't need any special equipment and, with a little effort, networking skills are easily mastered.

You may find some of these tips to be familiar. Maybe you practice some of them now. Or maybe they have slipped from your memory and your daily routine. Others may even be new to you. Whatever your circumstance, they're just as valid now as they ever were - and perhaps more relevant today than ever before. Put them to regular use and watch your sales, your profits and your customer loyalty increase to new heights.

Who likes to make cold calls, you might ask? The short answer is that there are probably few who relish the activity and fewer yet who are good at it.

I think we've all run into someone in our professional lives who seems to excel at cold calling - whether it's on the phone or in person. They seem to have a natural, relaxed approach to meeting prospects (or maybe I should say suspects) for the first time.

The cost of finding new customers is estimated to be between 500% and 800% higher than that of repeat or additional sales to existing customers. With profitability, therefore, significantly higher when selling to existing customers, it's time to decide what kind of sales representative you want to be: transactional (hunter) or consultative (farmer).