One of the key elements of my business coaching and sales mentoring process is that I focus on DSR: dominant sales recommendations. When I am coaching clients, I frequently remind them to focus on their dominant sales recommendation, and to make sure this is clearly outlined and embedded within their educational sales process.

The dominant sales recommendation is the main action you want your market to take. It is the metric for measuring your marketing. Your marketing is only effective if people are buying. Your marketing is extremely effective (well targeted, well positioned) if people are directly purchasing your dominant sales recommendation.

Think of it this way. Any amount of marketing, done consistently, will create results. Regular blogging, for instance, will bring you more site visitors, some of whom may purchase your ebook or an audio training program. This is good, of course, but if your dominant sales recommendation was to sign up for your seminar, and nobody is doing that, it means that your message to market match needs to be better refined.

Similarly, if your dominant sales recommendation is purchase your ebook, but people continually to sign up for your seminar, you have learned that your message, as presented, needs some adjustment. Your marketing is effective, because it is resulting in sales, but it can be made more effective if you understand how to better lead the target client from your sales message (embedded within your educational framework) to the desired response (signing up for the seminar.)

When you have created a strong message to market match, you are, in a way, able to print money on demand. When you have targeted your market so well that you know that by making 10 recommendations, you make 5 sales (for example), you can continually expand your marketing budget, knowing your return on marketing is consistent and profitable.

So if you’re not recommending anything to your potential clients, the first place to start is by recommending what they should buy or how they should proceed. If you are already recommending products or services, start monitoring how well your recommendations are being received. Are people taking the actions you recommend? Or are they doing something different?

Continually examine how you can create the straightest line from your sales recommendations to actual sales, as actual sales create cash flow.