Selling like Crazy for Entrepreneurs and Startups
Any business, whether big or small, the one critical element to success is its sales. While it is crucial to have great company organization, the lifeblood of the business is really how much it can sell to actual people.
Therefore, business strategies have to be well-planned, effective and constantly updated. Having good sales strategies allows you to define what you desire and how you achieve your goals. What you sell to who, and most importantly, how to do so. Sales strategies have changed throughout the years and they are particularly important these days as we are on the curb of major technological innovations. We are facing extremely informed, time sensitive and selective customers.
Below are some high level thoughts about the sales strategy approach that I have studied recently:
1. Build an impactful value proposition in your communication. Real, authentic stories sell better.
Create a buying vision that aligns with your unique strengths, it will uncover your clients’ needs, produce contrast and drive urgency and curiosity. This is what is known as “story telling”. As much as I don’t like this term for the ephemeral sense that transmit, a good story is the base ground for a successful selling strategy. Authenticity and audacity are my go-to. Your story should be as authentic as possible, make it radically true and expose even the weak sides. This is part of my karmapreneur belief and how opening up to your customers will create empathy and ultimately, adoption.
2. Speed is key — It’s great to have details but being fast, precise and accurate is key. People have short attention span so sellers need to present a product that is relevant to them within a short time, especially if they don’t know you (the company). Offering too much information can be overwhelming and risk losing the sales opportunity even if the products may be relevant. Always make sure to provide and emphasize solutions rather than a product or service.
3. Strategize with partners — Partnering up for marketing and sales is a common strategy for promotion and boosting sales, it also creates great public relation and attracts other businesses with ideas that can be beneficial for both parties. For startups, partnership is always a great way for lead generation and increase brand awareness. This is also great to limit business development and marketing expenses.
4. Give more to Earn more — “The Letizia’s Rule” Clientocentism is important but it should not be confused to “kissing up to your client”. Clients appreciate service but they equally appreciate knowledge. In one of the company that I recently coached, we shared the importance of interaction with clients. That specific business was a high end restaurant with a big following of high net-worth individuals in Asia.
In this organization, there are a lot of small talks among the middle managers. In one specific case, a customer walked out of their restaurant, he paid his bill, thanked the staff, yet left the food on the table almost untouched. None of the staff bothered to ask him what was wrong with the food. The gentleman was happy, didn’t complain, the staff assumed everything was fine. No. I asked my client, who then asked his staff, “Who is the person you care the most in your family?” The F&B manager said, “my little sister Letizia”. Treat every customer like little Letizia because you would not let her walk away from the dinner table without finishing her food, even if she didn’t complain.
You should care about your clients just like your little sister. That’s the true customer service that sets you apart from the crowd.
5. Early adopters rather then adapters — Inspired by one of my marketing gurus Seth Godin, business development efforts should be primarily focused on “early adapters”, they are the small crowd of people are genuinely interested in your product or service. They are your original tribe, those that will become messengers of your company. Every startup business, new product and service needs this small group of pioneers to cut through the market. Focus your effort on this small group and scale from it rather then spreading thin on larger and potentially lukewarm demographic.
Be quick to react to complaints and offer solutions. Be radically honest and empathic is the only mean to win your customers, no matter whether your business is a call center for Netflix or a high end restaurant.
