Growing Sales Inside Your Existing Customer Base

April 18, 2025
Phil Krone

Part of developing a sales process is determining what roles each of your business developers will play. Some people are hunters of new business from new accounts; others are good at growing business within existing accounts; others provide service. Some people are required to play all three roles. In this one hour presentation we will discuss different models in the market place and talk about what is proving successful in generating new work from existing customers. We will also cover what skills, programs and policy are required to strengthen relationships and put you in position to grow business with existing customers

Productive Strategies, Inc . are pleased to offer,  Growing Sales Inside Your Existing Customer Base,   November 8, 2007 7:30-10:00am. Featuring Philip Krone, President of Productive Strategies, Inc.  SAVE THE DATE,  Admission is free. Seating is limited.  Contact Anja Nanz of Administaff to sign up and for details including the location for the program:  Anja Nanz, Administaff, (312) 427-5073, anja_nanz@administaff.com Sponsors: Nick Arvis – President Advisory Committee Jay Kelly – Administaff Phil Krone – Productive Strategies

PHILIP S. KRONE – BUSINESS PROFILE Philip Krone has been an active marketing professional for manufacturing, service and professional firms since 1972. He is President of Productive Strategies Inc., a management and marketing consulting firm located in Northfield, Illinois that helps companies and associations define and reach their growth objectives.

Krone graduated from Duke University with a BA in Psychology and holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Krone has spoken before many groups including corporate events and trade associations. Topics presented include “FOCIS® Selling”, “The Five Levels of Marketing”, “The Five Levels of International Marketing”, “Collective Marketing Programs for Trade Groups”, “Marketing On The Internet” and “Using Sales Representatives To Help You Market At Higher Levels.” FOCIS® Selling is a complete course in consultative selling.

Krone founded Productive Strategies in 1993. As President of the firm he has developed the FOCIS® Selling Training program, developed presentations for corporate clients, coached hundreds of sales people, and has overseen the expansion of the practice area into 30 different services.

Krone has been a contributor to various trade publications and business magazines over the course of his career. He is the recipient of the Gullo and Trieber award for marketing excellence; and the Austin C. Lilligren award for service to manufacturers. He now serves on the Advisory Board-Chicago Chapter of The Entrepreneurship Institute; has served on the Entrepreneurship committee and the Industry and Issues Committees of Northwestern University’s Kellogg Alumni Association; has organized and presented Kellogg’s Expert Panel Program for alumni weekend several times, and was a founding board member of the Die Casting Development Council. Prior to founding Productive Strategies he was President of a manufacturing firm. For additional information visit PSI’s web site: www.ProductiveStrategies.com

The Shot! And the Importance of Discovery

By Phil Krone, President • April 28, 2025
Asking the questions that give you the confidence you need to win in sales. 

How do they do it?

By Phil Krone, President • March 22, 2025
This faith-based not-for-profit achieves 40 percent year-over-year growth for 17 years by applying well-known business principles, one in particular. Why can so few businesses even dream of such growth?

B2B Selling vs. B2G Selling: What’s the difference?

By Phil Krone, President • February 17, 2025
Are you selling business to business or business to government or both? There are similarities but also differences that need to be recognized to optimize your results.

Small Assignment, Big Impact

By By Phil Krone, President • January 17, 2025
Last year after a talk I gave at the Small Business Expo on Business to Business Selling (B2B) , a woman asked for my card because she wanted to meet to tell me about her business and learn more about mine. When we eventually got together she shared that her start-up company’s goal was to console consumers who had suffered the loss of a loved one directly, as she had. But my talk had inspired a new idea: assist funeral homes to improve their services by showing more empathy to their customers who were struggling as she was. I sensed that my talk gave her confidence that, despite the challenges, her business could succeed. What I didn’t realize was that this small assignment for a start-up would eventually have such a big impact on her business as well as an industry. 

The Five Levels of Marketing - Level Five: Vision Sets the Course

By Phillip Krone • December 18, 2024
To date we have covered the Sales, Information, Tactical, and Marketing Plan Levels. Although the fifth level is the last to be discussed, it is often what sets a business in motion when it is founded. Today we will illustrate marketing to support a vision by discussing two very successful businesses.

The Five Levels of Marketing - Level Four: Planning the Work, Working the Plan

By By Phil Krone, President • December 5, 2024
As a reminder, the Five Levels of Marketing are (1) Sales, (2) Information/Data/Analytics, (3) Tactical or Campaign, (4) Marketing or Program, and (5) Vision/Strategic. We’ve explored each of the first three levels in separate columns in August, September, and October. They are available on our website's Productive Insights collection.

The Five Levels of Marketing - Level Three: Tactical Sales Campaigns in the Field

By By Phil Krone, President • October 16, 2024
Using intelligence from prior levels leads to revenue-building sales campaigns on the ground in real time.

The Five Levels of Marketing - Level Two: Putting Data and Information to Work

By Phil Krone, President • September 16, 2024
Tracking key types of data each month provides insights that can build a highly productive marketing plan.

The Five Levels of Marketing

By Phil Krone, President • August 14, 2024
The Five Levels - Sales: Prospecting, qualifying, discovery, presentation, demonstration, proposal writing and closing; Information/Data/Analytics; Tactical or Campaign; Marketing or Program; Vision/Strategic

The Question That Leads to a Positive Decision (The Texas Hospital Story)

By Phil Krone, President • July 18, 2024
If you believe you have ADHD, you can be more successful by scheduling fewer first meetings and spending that time on more second and third meetings with qualified prospects. For our client, that meant cancelling half the medical CFO conventions his sales rep was planning to attend and investing more time following up with the CFO prospects he had already met. When your discovery is not productive, step back and restart at the point the discussion began to be about whose system is better. That’s an argument you are not going to win. Don’t waste years in prospect meetings in which you ask the same questions every time and get the same answers. Either decide that your product or service isn’t right for this prospect and move on—or broaden your discovery to find a need behind the need. In this hospital case, the hidden need was a fear that because no outside vendors had audited their system they might be in violation of regulations that an outsider would spot right away.
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