For the past 21 years, Simon Severino has been a strategy advisor and business coach that helps B2B agency owners get their businesses out of the weeds and increase their profitability. He has developed a system that can double their revenue in as little as 90 days.
“I love helping entrepreneurs grow their business. Even after all this time I am energized when a client is successful. They are happy and more relaxed, plus they become better fathers, mothers and friends. They now have time for life again. Their business gives them fulfillment. All that positive energy, I get it all of back from them along with their gratitude.”
Solve Three Issues and Double Your Revenue in 90 Days
Simon understands what it takes to make a business successful and double revenue in 90 days.
“Every B2B business exhibits similar patterns and problems. If we target three of the most important issues in any business, we can improve that business substantially in as little as 90 days.”
One of the main issues for any B2B business is the length of the sales cycle. For most businesses initial contact to point of sale can take months, or years. Older studies have found that it took on average eight experiences with a new customer before a sale was made. Today that number is 13 client touches before a sale is consummated. That many touches can take months even years.
“Shortening the sales cycle is problem number one. We first must shorten that from months to a couple of weeks.”
The second issue for a struggling business is the sales conversion rate. He teaches his clients how to increase the percentage of sales from every contact.
“If your closing ratio is lower than 25%, then your sales process needs an upgrade. We have seen closing ratios as high as 90% in our ‘Sprint Program.’ A simple tweaking to better qualify future clients and filter out the unprofitable ones will yield immediate benefits. Quit wasting time on clients that are not going to buy from you anyway.”
Content marketing can also help with this issue. Blogging becomes a soft introduction to clients, plus it can help a client recognize a problem and understand that you are someone that can solve it for them, which in turn helps increase your sales conversion rate.
The third piece of the puzzle and often the most difficult for business owners to accept is to increase their pricing by 25%.
Simon has found that most B2B businesses are undercharging for their products, or services. With 21 years of experience in consultation and more than 1,600 Sprint analyses completed, he has found this to be a fact.
“We know that most business owners are under charging, plus they invoice at the end of the month. This is not the correct billing method. We separate time and income and package every offer to make better use of time. Service businesses especially, need to productize their proposals and expect payment at the beginning of the contract, not later.”
This strategy alone can double a business’ income, but it can also require training and a confidence boost.
“Most salespeople, including business owners, need refresher courses on the proper sales techniques. We ask our clients to tape a typical sales call, we analyze it and use it to teach them to improve their pitch. After the price is given, the sales person must not speak. They cannot defend or apologize for their pricing. Silence in a sales presentation is very powerful.”
The most difficult thing in the sales process is rejection, or not making the sale. Simon helps his clients understand that making a sale is simply uncovering the truth together.
“Through talking with a prospect, a need is found and then you just help them find a solution to that particular problem. Much like you would do with a friend.”
He also shared the importance of watching the prospects body language.
“When initiating a sales discussion, it is important to watch the customer’s body language. Are they interested? Are they moving forward? Do they ask about the offer? Do their eyebrows go up or down during the conversation?”
Strategy Sprints
In his book, “Strategy Sprints” Simon has created a cookbook, or a template for diagnosing and solving growth problems for businesses.
“When I sit down with my staff and discuss lower than expected sales numbers, we usually end up going back to a certain chapter in the book and find a step that we have skipped in our own marketing process.”
The book has 12 chapters, or ‘Sprints.’ They do not need to be read in order, a reader can find the chapter that deals with their particular problem and learn more.
“If they have hiring issues, they jump to the chapters on hiring. If they need to improve sales, they jump directly to the sales chapter. It’s like a cookbook, you don’t read from beginning to end, just find your recipe for success.”
One of the concepts Simon believes in is Return on Luck (ROL). Even though his clients follow the same programs and advice, some outperform others, why?
“We found that a target, or goal must be made more specific, or smaller.”
While everyone works hard to be successful, their efforts may be too wide in focus. Goals need to be specific and results analyzed every day, not weekly, monthly, or quarterly. Smaller samples with immediate feedback will provide a better overall understanding of one’s market and strengths. Adjustments can then be made to improve that area, or aspect of the business for future success.
“When you have a better understanding of your market, your ROL increases exponentially.”
Simon has created a “Joint Venture Club.” It is a small group of 50 people that help each other stay motivated and challenged to be better.
“We want the Joint Venture Club to be made up of other business owners, similar to us that can bring their super powers to the group, increase our networking and bring additional value to the group.”
Simon currently resides in Vienna, Austria and has three children that keep him busy. He enjoys sports with his friends, is a voracious reader and writer. He still wants to learn and is constantly trying to find something new.
He is building a franchise system, so other countries are using the strategy sprints method. Every month, one, or two new areas of the world adopt his methods.
“I’m getting challenged by life every day. I take it, and I play with it.”
We enjoyed our podcast with Simon; watch it on YouTube or listen on iTunes.
To learn more about Simon, his company and how he can help you double your revenues in 90 days visit: www.strategysprints.com.
His book “Strategy Sprints” can also be found on Amazon.
