In the last
segment, I shared some ideas to help you get clear about you. If you missed it, go to Small BusinessPropel: Getting Clear 3.1- About You; to
get clear.
Today I am
going to help you get some clarity about the selling issue. The thing is that most business owners that I
have met hate the idea of being a sales person but we both know that unless you
come up with the greatest thing since sliced bread, you are going to need to
find a way to sell your product or service unless you have the capital to hire
people to do it for you.
So a million
years ago, when I hated the idea myself, I had to create ways of getting me to
do it knowing that without a strategy I would find how to avoid it at all costs.
OK, first
get clear:
·
My
product or service will not sell itself.
·
If
I have a great thing to offer, why would people not want it?
·
If
I am not connecting to potential buyers how will they find out about my
offerings?
·
Potential
buyers will get an inferior product or service when they buy elsewhere.
Now, here
are strategies that I have used and continue to use very successfully:
·
In
the early stages of a business, spend 70% of your time doing a combination of
activities that connect you to potential buyers.
·
Select
two or more networking places where your target market goes. Sign up and pay the fee. Put it on your
calendar. (By registering and paying you
will not make last minute excuses not to go.)
·
Commit
to going to two events per week consistently so that you get to know people and
they get to know you. Do not go to drink
for happy hour and have a relaxing time.
This is part of your sales plan.
·
Find
and set up speaking opportunities and educate people on your area of expertise.
·
Set
up a blog and begin to share ideas, comments, tips, promotions, relevant
information. Do this weekly and find out
where to post it so people will find it.
·
Select
the best social media for your market and work on it 3 times per week.
·
Do
not go crazy trying to do all social media types and spend all of your time
doing a little here and a little there.
Commit to one and do it well and consistently.
·
Set
aside one day a week to schedule one on one meetings with people in related
areas. Schedule for the following week
(after you have blocked out when you are networking, blogging, and doing social
media).
·
Spend
2 hours per week helping a related business get referrals from you.
·
Spend
8 hours per week of phone follow up:
thank people for spending time with you at an event, set up a one on
one, and follow up on any requests for information, schedule appointments, and
call referrals that you got.
·
If
you hate the phone, use the sandwich method:
do one hour of other sales related tasks that you like better, then call
for one hour, then do another more desirable task.
·
Identify
the characteristics of a new group of people or business that need and use your
product or service line.
·
Spend
at least 4 hours per week looking to introduce your company to that market
segment. Create an effective email that
you can send via Linked-in to individuals in your target market. Use the same email to create an email blast
for your contacts.
·
Develop
your sales kit: presentation materials,
samples, contracts, etc.
·
If
you hate talking about money, have a price list at all times and include a “sign
up or buy me now” form.
·
Have
an effective logo, business cards, and web site. You are either selling or UNSELLING yourself
every time a person sees one of these items.
·
Spend
money on SEO for your website, or take the very long time it takes to learn
this stuff and get it done.
·
When
you can afford it, spend on advertising.
So the
bottom line is that if you are spending at least 70% of your time doing
selling, marketing, and/or related activities your chances of success go up
tremendously.
Paper work,
bookkeeping, spending hours learning how to do something that you have no clue
how to do, let alone do it effectively is a sure way to run you out of
business.
Until such
time as you can pay others to do it, yes-you are going to sell.
By +Maria Ryan McElhenny
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