Facebook Won't Increase My Income

I was speaking at an assembly this weekend and someone in the audience made this comment:

Facebook won't increase my income (or grow my members)

And, you know what, he was RIGHT!
All I can do, using Facebook among other tools, is bring you leads. I can get you in front of your target audience. I can get you found in the search engines. I can create calls to action that encourage people to contact you. I can design your website to create a clear path for a visitor that leads them to contact you. I can use Twitter to introduce your brand to an audience that has never heard of you. I can do A LOT of things for you; however,

YOU HAVE TO CLOSE THE DEAL!

I can help train your sales people, your customer service department, your engineers, your technicians, even your high-level executives but at the end of the day - they work for YOU! Do you encourage them to close the deal? Do you inspire them by words and actions? Do they want you to succeed? Do they care if you succeed? What's that old saying?

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.

Remember that Internet marketing is an integral PART of your entire sales and marketing umbrella.
So, here are some tips:

1. Don't answer the phone in a gruff voice and bark HELLO!
2. Don't hang up on people.
3. Remember that a disgruntled customer can ruin more than just a single sale for you - think long-term benefit.
4. Remember that a happy customer can bring you more than just a single sale - think long-term benefit.

When an Internet marketing consultant comes in and starts asking questions about your internal sales process, understand their motives. They are trying to get a feel for the whole picture. They can help you - not just online but as a part of your sales team.

Where have you seen clients/prospective clients lose leads because of internal procedures?