You've seen everyone from Obama to Ashton Kutcher build brands of social media sites like Twitter. But what about enterprises? This infograhic from KISSmetrics goes into detail on the importance of building a solid fan base for social enterprises.

Ah, the poor 21st century sales professionals, if he/she is not getting it from their manager, they are being squeezed by what he thought was a “loyal” customer, wringing yet another concession to ensure they keep the business.  As if all that were not enough, there is always a sniper, pundit or sales expert ready to threaten their existence and value.  One such “end is near” piece was onSellingPower.com, entitled “How Many Salespeople Will Be Left by 2020?“, according to which the species will be all but extinct by the end of this decade.

The August Edition of SOLD Magazine is out! Be ready to uncover the myths and secrets of cold calling and find out a bunch of highly practical tips on how to generate great leads. Cold calling demystified – the August Edition of SOLD is here at your disposal. Don’t hesitate to subscribe, it’s FREE http://www.soldlab.com/subscribe/

The critical factor in selling today is risk. Because of the continuous change, rapid obsolescence, and an uncertain economy, the risk of buying the wrong product or service has become greater than ever before.

One of our powerful needs is for security, and any buying decision that represents uncertainty triggers the feeling of risk that threatens that security.

There are four main factors that contribute to the perception of risk in the mind and hear of the customer.

Risk Factor 1: Size of the Sale
The first factor that contributes to...Read more at http://www.soldlab.com/factors-of-risk-in-selling/

Email prospecting can be a very effective way to reach key contacts and turn them into sales leads.For that to happen, you want to master the Glimpse Factor and give your prospects a reason to respond to your message.

1. Doing your homework is key.

A number of sellers pointed out that what makes their email so relevant is the research they do beforehand. When it comes to understanding your prospect's business – not to mention the challenges he or she is facing right now – there's no substitute for doing a little bit of reading. You don't need an in-depth survey, 10 or 15 minutes for top prospects will give you the information you need to personalize your message.

2. Be current and relevant.

Set up Google alerts or a similar newsfeed to...Read more at http://www.soldlab.com/news/2011/7/19/8-tips-for-increasing-your-email-prospecting-response-rate.html

Being a sales person is not an easy job, no matter what the economy. But it’s been especially challenging these last few years. So here are a few free online sales tools that really will help you sell.

1. Google Alerts– Want to know when someone mentions your products or services online? Or how about staying abreast of what your competition is doing? With Google Alerts you can have that information sent to you via an automatic email update, or a daily/weekly email report. You can also track alerts using an RSS feed reader.  

2. MyBrainShark– This free tool makes online marketing easy by enabling you to record and add...Read more at http://www.soldlab.com/7-online-tools-for-salespeople/

Out of all of the ways to advertise your business, social media marketing is one of the most effective. With social media advertising, you are provided with a way to obtain direct contact with others who may potentially be interested in your product without coming on too forceful. The worst mistake anyone can make when trying to gain traffic or customers is come on too strong.

Anyone who has a social media webpage knows that...Read more at http://www.soldlab.com/news/2011/6/30/how-social-media-marketing-can-build-your-business-to.html

“I don’t have a sale yet, but a  decision is pending”. Oh, really? In my experience, when a sales person says a deal is “pending” this usually translates to “dead on arrival”. How often are you saying this when what you really mean is “I haven’t got a clue when, how, or if the decision will be made”?

Let’s face it – your buyer has the right to “think it over”. In fact, when it comes to major purchases, I might suggest that a buyer who makes decisions on the spot might be using poor judgment by acting too hastily. I hope that doesn’t offend you.

On the other hand...Read more at http://www.soldlab.com/news/2011/6/29/shortening-the-decision-process-three-mistakes-that-delay.html

If you want to exceed your budget consistently and bring new business into your company, you need to be successful at prospecting, period! This is why the most successful sales professionals earn the big bucks! Sales managers hire sales people that can bring in new business, not manage existing accounts. Yet there are many ‘newbies’ that come into a new company hoping that they will be handed a gravy train account that just keeps sending in new purchase orders. Maybe that happened 20 years ago but not in this millennium.

To successfully prospect, you have to understand these three realities so that you have realistic expectations.

1. Get focused and dedicate...Read more at http://www.soldlab.com/news/2011/6/28/the-psychology-of-prospecting-to-read-more-sales-news.html

We get a lot of questions about Twitter - how to get started, how to use it, how to get more readers and followers. The answer usually varies - depending on your audience, objective and focus.

That said, here are four pieces of advice we give often, specifically to those just getting started.

Use hashtags (“#” before your keyword) that are relevant to your audience. People will read your tweets if they...Read more at http://www.soldlab.com/news/2011/6/23/4-fundamental-twitter-best-practices-to-read-more-sales.html