A Comprehensive Sell It! Guide

How to Sell to Teens

Teens care about the hottest brands and latest fashions. Most of us buy stuff more often than our parents, and we're more concerned with quality and the prestige that comes from wearing certain brands. But style is always evolving and there are so many brands, stores and options that we get bored quickly. Before I go shopping, I look to magazines and celebrities for the current trends, then I go to the mall to see what's available at what price.

-- Cassie Kreitner is a freshman at Syracuse University. She is majoring in magazine journalism and marketing.

Selling to teens means selling to their peers. Teens trust their friends, so if you reach their peers, you eventually reach them -- in large numbers. You need to brand; teens bond to brands, so do whatever it takes to get your logo and brand message in front of them -- repeatedly. Also, be interactive. Be high-tech and high-touch. Entice teens with contests or send postcards inviting them to your Web site to give their opinions.

-- Ann A. Fishman is a leading expert in generational marketing.

How to Keep Your Brand Fresh

Conduct a "brand audit" once a year. Look at how your product or service is marketed and branded (your marketing messages), analyze your brand positioning (i.e., ask customers what they think of your brand), then compare the two to see how well they connect. A coffee-house owner, for example, might think she serves great coffee, while convenience or ambience may be a bigger selling point from the customer's perspective. An annual brand audit keeps you on track.

-- Adapted from Start Your Own Business: The Only Start-Up Book You'll Ever Need by Rieva Lesonsky and the staff of Entrepreneur magazine.

How to Motivate Your Sales Team

1. Communicate both sales goals and reasons why.

2. Offer not only sales strategies, but also specific tactics.

3. Use short-, mid- and long-term incentives.

4. Set sales goals collaboratively with the team.

5. Reward both team performance and individual effort.

6. Don't dictate activity -- only results.

7. Use praise and recognition, never humiliation or punishment.

8. Share sales success stories, not just numbers.

9. Reward peer coaching and mentoring.

10. Create a databank of sales tools and documents.

David Newman produces sales, finance and HR audio conferences for Business 21 Publishing.

How to Sell by Social Networking

Want to get people talking? Newsflash: They already are! They're online -- chatting, collaborating, blogging, podcasting -- so join their conversations. Social networking enables you to find and target niche markets easily, quickly and absolutely free. So jump in! Start an active dialog. Get to know your audience. Show them how much you care -- just never lie about who you are. Your honesty and integrity add real value to your business. Get typing!

-- Jennifer Kushell co-founded YSN.com, Your Success Network, an online universe for ambitious movers and shakers.