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Learn how to boost your sales skills from the HBC’s Wake Up Entrepreneur Series session.

The Hispanic Business Council presents a regular series of educational seminars titled “Wake Up Entrepreneur!”  This breakfast series covers all manner of topics helpful to those who do business in the area.  The latest installment of this series, hosted at the Amway Center by the Orlando Magic, was titled “Closing Sales in a Competitive Market.”  The following topics were tackled at this breakfast on October 3rd:

  • The Selling Process
  • Networking Effectively
  • Prospecting
  • Creating Relationships
  • What are you selling? (Going through the steps to a “yes”)
  • Doing business with the Orlando Magic

The Selling Process

A selling process is a sequence of stages each including repeatable steps, a conversion of a potential customer into a paying customer, and a roadmap to keep you on pace to a close.  Here are some tips to creating a sales process for yourself or your sales team:

  • Observe your sales reps and their competition.
  • Map your observations to a generic example.
  • Identify why the prospect advances to the next stage.
  • Adapt a generic sales procdss and make it your own.
  • Continually monitor and fine-tune your process based on market changes.

Networking Effectively

In the words of Carlos Velez, Senior Account Executive with the Orlando Magic, “Stop treating your schmoozing like a business card collection contest.  Start over with a new goal:  quality over quantity.”  Here are Carlos’  8 tips to network effectively:

Prospecting

Prospecting can mean “to search for gold.”  Here are some tips to strike gold in your search for a sale:

  • Prospect every day
  • Turn off distractions
  • Use every method available
  • Write scripts
  • Focus on the outcome – to open a new relationship
  • Get GREAT at cold calling
  • Nurture relationships over time

Creating Relationships

Jerry Maguire said “The key to this business is personal relationships,” and this advice can be applied to the sales industry in real life just as in the film.  Here are 11 pro tips from Carlos Velez:

  • Listen to your customer
  • Seek feedback from your customer
  • Use social media to learn about your customer
  • Respond promptly to the customer
  • Add value
  • Set an example for your reps
  • Have conversations, not pitches
  • Be genuine
  • Make the customer’s life easier
  • Be patient
  • Maintain your relationships

What are you selling?

You should start by selling a meeting, because the more chances you have of a face-to-face meeting, the better the odds of closing the sale.  It can take several yeses to get to the final “yes,” so find your way there through the conversations you have with your clients.

Michael Forde, the Magic’s Chief Sales Officer for Corporate Partnerships joined the event to speak a bit about the Magic and doing business with the Magic.  The breakfast was sponsored by Wyndham Destinations.  Be on the lookout for the HBC’s next Wake Up Entrepreneur! event.

Business Member Spotlight: Southeast Wiring Solutions protects homes with custom smart solutions.

The foundation that has helped shape our company into one of Central Florida's #1 security company for the past 20 years consist of our core values: Dependability, Reliability, Commitment, Accountability, Honesty, Quality, Teamwork, Professionalism and Superb Communication.

Founded in 2002, Southeast Wiring Solutions (SWS) is a fast growing home automation, security system provider and installer in Central Florida. In addition to Security Alarm Systems, Southeast Wiring Solutions(SWS) provides our clients with innovative solutions in both Security, Home Theater and Home Automation catered to Property Management. We take pride in customizing equipment and services that fit both your security and safety needs while keeping you connected even when you're away from your home.

Their vision is and has always been to be the best provider in the industry. They understand how important it is to keep the ones you love safe. Their company provides the best service to their customers. They are dedicated to providing the best quality, value and service to meet their customers needs.

  • Home Automation for Family’s and Property Management
  • Home Security / Commercial Security
  • Fire Alarm Systems
  • Video Surveillance
  • Networking
  • Audio/Video
  • Home Theaters
  • Wiring
  • Service
  • 24/7 Monitoring
  • Signage/Vehicle Wraps/Custom Prints/Shirts
  • WIFI Systems
  • And much more!​
Business Member Spotlight: Labor Solutions connects companies with the right staffing solutions.

Success in your business means having the right people doing the work that needs to be done. Helping you do that is what they do best.

Your business depends not just on having employees, but having the right staff for the jobs that need to be done. Sometimes this means hiring staff. Other times it means using an agency to provide the right people for the job. Whether short-term staffing or long-term “employee leasing,” Labor Solutions, Inc. has the solution for you.

Who They Are?
For 20 years, Labor Solutions, Inc. has provided staffing solutions for employers. They understand that today’s markets often present ever-changing personnel levels. This can be very frustrating for any company. Their passion is to take the frustration out of meeting those needs. They believe a key to a successful partnership is frequent, quality communication and they are committed to doing just that.

What Do They Do?
Their goal is to take much of the stress out of your staffing needs. To do this, they provide recruiting, interviewing, screening, skills assessment, background checks, and drug screens on a 24/7 basis. In addition, they handle issues such as worker’s compensation, unemployment, and light duty. They even handle payroll for their employees.

More than just providing warm bodies, their goal is to provide the right people with the right skills for the job. They want to connect great people with great companies. For this reason, they are always looking for great people ready to do great work for your company.

Why Do They Care?
There is no shortage of staffing companies out there. Most are more than willing to help you find people to fill the gaps in your staffing. At Labor Solutions, Inc.,  it is about so much more than just filling gaps. To them, the success of their business is tied to the success of your business. A win to them is when we are able to pair the right person with the right skills to the right company so that both complement one another and experience more success as a result.

THIS is why they do what they do. THIS is why they care.