Fresh eggs reflect trends

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It is said that the simplest things in life offer the greatest riches. In time for Easter, our young chickens just started laying eggs. The speckled brown egg shells are beautiful. We enjoy the fresh organic eggs that can be gathered at home rather than at the grocery store.

Many of my neighbors are raising chickens for organic eggs. According to the Ag Marketing Resource Center: “Organics have grown at a rate of nearly 20 percent per year for the last seven years, and industry experts are continuing to forecast additional growth.”

According to Amy Sung of Supermarket News in a Feb. 9, 2009 article: “The market for organic foods has looked unstoppable in recent years, with sales growing from $2.1 billion in 2003 to an estimated $5.2 billion in 2008 – a 142% increase – according to Mintel International Group’s Organic Food Report, October 2008. And, despite the deepening recession, many experts believe that sales of organic products will continue to increase in 2009, albeit at a slower pace.”

The organic market is definitely a trend worth watching for your family or your business. As a side note, when I admired the neighbor’s chicken coop, he referred me to Backyard Chickens for design ideas. Today’s world is rich in opportunity with an amazing array of online resources right at your finger tips. You can find almost everything you want to know online to stimulate fresh ideas and house fresh eggs.

Prepare for objections to make the sale

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As part of training your sales team, prepare them to meet objections. Start by writing down every objection you’ve ever heard from a prospect – it costs too much, there isn’t time to discuss it now, not the right color, need to get approval, no budget available …. Then practice what your response might be by writing down several options for answering each objection. Have a fact, benefit and a customer story to back up your claim that you can overcome the objection.

You also need to prepare yourself by asking the customer plenty of questions early in the sales conversation about his or her needs. Then you can tie your response to something the customer said was important to him or her.

Frequently when dealing with an objection, the best thing to do is to start by agreeing with the prospect and then move to how you can solve that problem. For instance, “I can understand that keeping the cost down is important in making a buying decision. That’s exactly why many of our clients select our product. Although the initial cost may be a bigger investment, its durability and quality extend its life, making it a longer lasting and more convenient solution for less cost per use. In addition, the no interest payment plan helps with your cash flow and the replacement guarantee, that only our company offers, enable you to rest assured that this investment will pay off.”

Plan the flow of your sales conversation and have plenty of responses to objections ready to use to move the customer to buy your product or service.

Sierra College wins Career Technical Education grant

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On March 30 it was announced that “Sierra College wins $500,000 grant to attract students to technical careers.” According to the release, “In today’s economic downturn, skilled workers are fundamental to economic recovery. Sierra College received a $500,000 grant from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office that will support the region’s long-term economic viability through career technical education (CTE). From middle school to college, students must be equipped with technical skills to meet the future needs of emerging industries. The grant aligns education with business to develop relevant hands-on learning models, merge academics with technical education and fill the pipeline of future workers with those who are qualified to fill highly-paid, in-demand technical positions.

According the Sandra Scott, Director, Grant Development and Career Technical Education at Sierra College, this grant will promote science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. ‘Through partnerships with industry as well as middle and high schools, Sierra College’s STEM Community Collaborative is implementing innovative CTE models, strengthening existing programs, and attracting middle and high school students to STEM education,’ said Scott.”

Learn more at Roseville Rocklin Today and the Sacramento Business Journal. Check out Sierra College Training to learn more about Technical Education projects.