Monday, May 10, 2010

"Just Get Out There and Sell"

"Just get out there and sell" is the now infamous answer that a former boss gave to me.  What was the question I asked to trigger such an 'obvious' response that may only be fit for used car salesman: "what is our business development process?"  You might be thinking, especially if you have had a sales job of any sort, that is an oversimplification of how sales work and maybe even a downright ridiculous answer.  Nevertheless, this mode of thinking is prevalent not only in unqualified managers, but also in lots of businesses across the country and world.

No matter what you are selling - product, service or philanthropic ideals - there needs to be a process or strategy in place for achieving your organizations goals.  No matter what you call this process or strategy, here are four brief questions that should help you along the way:

  • What business am I in? May seem simple and obvious, but it can be quite complex.  Are you, for instance, in the office furniture, chair, or office chair business?
  • Who is my clientele/customer/prospect? How you answer the previous question will determine the answer for this question.  This will help you wisely spend your marketing dollars with proper allocation and help in developing a pipeline of potential customers.
  • What am I offering? Again, simple enough, but think about this carefully.  Are you simply selling a chair?  Are you selling a solution, that is to say are you selling a comfortable chair to for the employee to sit in and work?  Or are you selling the chair that will alleviate all bodily worries and make you work efficiently enough to be the next CEO of the company?
  • Why should they buy from me?  Almost for sure, you will not be the only brand in your market trying to sell what you sell to that particular consumer.  You need to provide legitimate value for your consumer, on some level, that will compel them to buy from you.  You want them to buy from you not just when it is convenient, but even when it is not.
These questions certainly do not exhaust the pre-planning questions you should be asking, but it is a good start!

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