ActusMR, Inc.
The Business Health Specialists™
ActusMR BizHealth
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FAQs

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  1. Company Information

    Our Company Perspective, Philosophies and Background.

    Q.1 Why ActusMR™?

    ActusMR™ is known as the Business Health Specialists™, focusing on growth, sustainability and helping drive harmony within an organization. We go beyond traditional consulting and provide services beyond coaching and training, making us a unique service provider that provides real value to an organization.

    Q.2 What does the word Actus mean?

    Actus is a Latin word meaning perfection, determination and complement. For our purposes, we've taken creative freedom and modified the definition by also including the word "resource." These four words make up the cornerstone of our company's philosophies and they drive everything we do. Our goal is to be a powerful management resource, going beyond traditional coaching or consulting.

    Q.3 How is ActusMR™ different than a consulting agency?

    Our approach is to implement real-world solutions that truly complement your company's philosophies. Our focus is on helping you create a healthy business that is sustainable and scalable. We believe in understanding your company's needs and objectives and provide solutions which help you reach the next level. Where consulting often falls short, our business health services focus on practical experience from professionals who have been in your shoes. Business health is about driving morale, engaging staff, providing the right tools, increasing knowledge, developing powerful messaging, helping your firm stand out from the crowd of competition and helping drive true ROI. Each clients' needs are different, so our approach is customized for every engagement providing a strategy that's needed to achieve optimum business health.

    Q.4 What is business health and why does it matter?

    ActusMR™ we are billed as the Business Health Specialists™. Our focus is on helping companies create sustainable futures and drive real growth and opportunity. Business health is about eliminating unhealthy practices which can create unnecessary challenges. Those challenges can be related to staff retention, morale, scalability, inefficient sales systems, limited reporting, ineffective messaging, and more. As consumer and B2B buying behaviors change, it's important to take a look at areas for internal improvement, since what worked yesterday or what works today may not be the right direction for tomorrow. Our exams start with questions to identify areas where improvement is critical, necessary or recommended. As the Business Health Specialists™, we then prescribe a plan which allows you to address those concerns, leading to long-term business health. Our apples of wisdom definitely help keep the doctor away.

    Q.5 Why do you reference apples so much? Do you like apples?

    We've all heard the phrase, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." As Business Health Specialists™, we serve up plenty of apples in the form of information, planning, knowledge and tools to ensure your business health is strong. Our business apples are intended to drive true business health. And yes, we like apples, especially green ones, since they go well with our company colors.

  2. Sales and Marketing

    Questions Related to Sales and Marketing Issues or Concepts.

    Q.1 What is sales messaging and how is it different from my marketing messaging?

    Sales messaging is centered upon a consistent set of talking points, questions, differentiation items and objection rebuttals which arm sales and client facing staff with powerful tools to drive real client engagement. Its purpose is to drive dialogue, to uncover the true challenges of a client and to provide real solutions which can be supported honestly and effectively. Marketing messaging is focused on 'we-we' talk. It describes what your company can do and how you can do it. Though it is more descriptive and focused on heavy content about a firm's capabilities, it should ultimately complement the sales messaging. When marketing and sales are aligned properly, business health is very positively influenced.

    Q.2 Don't I want my sales staff telling clients everything we do?

    Ultimately, you want your clients informed and aware of all of your offerings. However, sales effectiveness requires getting to know a client's challenges. Researching a prospect or client, identifying decision makers, asking power questions and driving real engaged conversation are key elements in selling today. You must gain the buyer's trust and prove to be a real resource for them to be seen as a long-term provider. If your goal is to share everything that's on your website or in your marketing material, you're focused on the wrong person, you. Instead, turn the focus on the clients and get them engaged in the process so you can provide real solutions for their real needs.

    Q.3 What are power questions?

    Power questions are inquiries which focus on your prospect's/client's needs or issues, but allow you to respond with a response which might include a service offering, an example, or possibly another question. The ultimate goal is for you to provide information about solutions and services, but in an engaging way. Business health is impacted by the level of prospect/client engagement and loyalty.

    Q.4 We struggle to differentiate our business from the competition. Does it matter? We seem to be doing just fine.

    Differentiating a brand is crucial to prove that your value extends beyond a message of "me too." Traditionally, many firms have survived or thrived through relationships and word-of-mouth promotion. As competition continues to rise, if your message is not unique and powerful, it may become increasingly harder to gain that first opportunity. Customer loyalty is also challenged, since there are internal pressures, such as a focus on cost saving measures and other factors which may require a company to move away from traditional suppliers. Therefore, it's important you focus on the value you provide and often a unique, memorable and differentiated message can make a significant impact on your ability to succeed. You may be doing fine today, but long-term business health often involves a review of your strategic messaging.

    Q.5 How has the practice of selling changed? What works today?

    Virtually everyone has heard the phrase, the "ABC's of Selling" or "Always Be Closing"". That mantra has created an image many equate to pushy, high pressure sales, which gives the practice of selling a bad name. That strategy is ineffective where the buyer is sophisticated or educated, and where there needs to be an on-going relationship. At ActusMR™, we prescribe a strategy that drives business health called the "ABE's of Selling™" or "Always Be Engaging". By engaging customers, you gain trust and drive loyalty by being seen as a value provider, a true resource.

    Q.6 We don't have a CRM (Customer Relations Management Tool). Why do we need one?

    How do you measure your sales team's success? Success depends on several factors. Proper planning and tracking are crucial to reaching or exceeding real growth goals. A CRM tool allows you to centralize proposal tracking, communication and dialogue, and activity, while being able to report and project what's really happening. Spreadsheets and other offline documents can become hard to follow, lost, inconsistent from user to the next and it's a potentially risky way to store or track data. If you're serious about growth and success, a CRM tool is an important piece to consider.

    Q.7 I've struggled to find good sales staff. What can I do to make sure I hire the right people or give them what they need to succeed?

    Hiring sales professionals can be challenging. Many fall short of expectation, thus costing you time and money if you have to constantly replace them. Are your expectations realistic? Do you have the right system in place? ActusMR™can help you establish realistic expectations and provide training to new associates. We can even offer virtual sales management to help new hires or existing staff reach maximum potential. In addition, we recommend a talent assessment to identify areas of improvement or to identify if a potential hire is really a fit for your organization.

    Q.8 How to I determine a fair compensation package for new business development or sales hires?

    This is an area where many companies make mistakes. Compensation should be structured so that it's motivating and fairly reflective of performance. ActusMR™ can help you determine the right approach, all keeping the bottom line in mind. Despite common misconceptions, not all high performing sales professionals are motivated by the same things. We can help you determine real motivation factors and build the package around our findings.

  3. General Topics

    Questions related to questions about business, staffing, or other general topics.

    Q.1 · It seems that some of my staff is not happy. How can I find a way to boost morale?

    Motivating staff and developing simple strategies to boost morale is a real strength of ActusMR™. Your greatest asset as a company is your staff. Our philosophy drives real emphasis on teamwork, collaboration, and synergy, fostering a culture of success. Business health requires a healthy work environment, leading to low turnover and high productivity.

    Q.2 I'm looking to develop an exit strategy. Can you help me?

    At some point every business faces major transition. Our focus on business health allows us to work with an executive to identify necessary milestones and develop a plan for a safe exit or transfer of power. The key is a focus on long-term sustainability, allowing for transition to occur without a major internal disruption.

    At ActusMR™, our focus is on business health. Though growth through acquisition or merger may fit a long-term strategy, it is not an area where we typically participate. M&A activity tends to lead to short-term disruptions in business health. If that is a strategy you are considering, we're happy to refer you to people with expertise in that area.

Q.4 What types of plans should a business implement?

Beyond initial business planning and budgeting, ActusMR™ believes each department should implement a plan. Two key elements are sales planning and a single page business plan.

Q.5 Why is planning so important?

Proper planning allows goals and targets to be reached by knowing the steps involved. Often business planning is viewed as a "start-up" objective and budgets are reviewed on an annual basis in most organizations. We believe in regular review of the planning process to keep a focus on business health. ActusMR™ promotes and leverages a one-page business plan which can be used as a tool to create the proper staff buy-in, ensuring everyone knows the intended corporate strategy. In addition, we emphasize the use of sales plans for both individuals and the overall team. This focus allows for everyone to know how they'll reach their and the company's targets.

Q.6 What is lead generation and why should I consider outsourcing that?

Lead generation is the practice of creating qualified sales opportunities that are interested in an offering, have a budget and are willing to consider a new supplier or vendor. At ActusMR, we can help you generate leads through multiple channels, including outbound sales calling efforts, social media campaigns or other marketing strategies, such as direct mail.