One.. Two.. Three.. SELL !!! Darren Fell, founder Pure360.com, Freelanceadvisor.co.uk & MD of crunch.co.uk

Setup Pure in 2001, now in 2008 has over 43 employees and 750+ customers, inc FT, EMAP etc No money, so forced to sell product fast and brought on 160 accounts in 9 months (on my own) ! Darren Fell – the story

Next, commission scheme designed and targets created to bring 5 sales people on in 5 months Sales team recruited and trained whilst managing 160+ accounts and still bringing in monthly target Not a recommended path as highly stressful but All Out method certainly produced results! The full story can be heard via the link Interview with Darren on Darren Fell – the Pure story

Moved to non-Exec Chairman role at Pure to launch my next venture, crunch ( Crunch is an online accounting system specifically for freelancers & contractors due to launch in the summer Launched freelanceadvisor.co.uk to help freelancers and contractors setup and work more efficiently Freelance Advisor already proving popular; a community site with articles, blogs and podcasts Darren Fell – crunch & freelanceadvisor.co.uk

Sales is the crux of your business! Without it your business will wither and die! Got the motivation? If not find something that will truly drive you and your team, a mission to be no 1? E.g. Crunch Mission: To be the no1 accounting service in the freelancer & contractor marketplace, offering the best service offering, the best support and at the most competitive price. The Sales Steps…

Does the business have a clear goal? E.g. Crunch; To build Crunch into the largest accounting service for freelancers & contractors to the level of 10,000 customers within a 3 year period and sell for a minimum of £10million. Remember the key rule: Always be closing! Get team to brush up on selling? Read a basics book mentioned in Winning new business article The Sales Steps…

How good is your website? Does it rank highly on SEO? Does it have a call me / quote me button on homepage? Can potential customers always reach you? Try a 24hr service like All Day PA ( Have you honed your elevator pitch? E.g Crunch is a ridiculously easy to use online accounting system for freelancers and contractors that is very cost effective and will not need an accountant The Sales Steps – the basics

Tell everyone you know and get the sales team to do the same, even ex-colleagues Doing an exceptional job will lead to creating an excellent word of mouth referral for you Sales professionalism; get quotes back fast within 1-2 days (max) and always do what you promise! Get on every key directory, particularly locally and get networking at all appropriate events The Sales Steps – tuning up

Cold calling is a necessity. All good sales people should at least spend 1-2 hours a day doing it How do you sell? Could you do it remotely and save time and travel costs? All salespeople love targets (when they hit them). Set achievable targets! Build a pipeline of customers, spread across small, medium & large (FT Group took me 18 months!) The Sales Steps – other advice

GO FOR IT AND ALWAYS BE CLOSING !!!! The Sales Steps – final advice

Any Questions ?

Took 1 month to work out! Paid 12% on gross product sale, less costs like custom software build or external template design Paid 12% on recurring software revenue, only if salesperson hit new business target Built in accelerator for Major Accounts salespeople, hit over £50K in quarter and get 15% Commission System

Pod casts interviewing experienced freelancers & contractors, revealing useful tips and pitfalls to avoid Latest pod casts detail the most successful marketing tips to win you business! Articles and advice on every subject possible, are starting to be written and uploaded Freelanceadvisor.co.uk is looking for contributors to bring real life issues to the community site Building a Community – Freelanceadvisor.co.ukFreelanceadvisor.co.uk

Fast track in setting up Business Bank account, Limited Company & VAT & PAYE registrations Automatically deduct Tax, VAT and make payments directly to HM Revenue and Customs Creates most tax efficient method to pay salary direct into the customers personal account Low cost service at only £60 per month including year end accounts crunch - what does it offer ?