For most business problems, there's an obvious solution: Make more sales.
Need a new Web site? Need more staff? Need new products or services? The answer: Get out there and make sales.
Let's face it, most business problems can be helped - if not solved - by having more money. And the most direct way to increase your income is to pick up the phone, walk out the door, and go out there and sell.
My business has been buffeted by outside forces this year, and as a result, I've needed a bigger sense of control and a feeling of positive movement. And I could definitely use more cash.
So it's time I remind myself of a critical component of the Entrepreneur's Creed: "When things get tough, the tough get selling."
Of course, this is an oversimplification. If you're selling the wrong product or service to the wrong market, going out there and selling your heart out isn't the answer. If you don't have enough staff to fulfill orders, selling more may only give you extra headaches. If you can't make a profit on what you're selling, selling more won't solve your problems.
But for most business challenges, having more money helps. In fact, sooner or later, all of business life comes down to one thing: making sales. You may have started your business because you're great at creating something - whether it is software, sauces or songs - but if you can't sell it, you have to hire someone or go to work for someone who can.
Let's face it, working on other aspects of our businesses is more satisfying. Designing a new product or developing a new marketing campaign can be fun. Even handling paperwork or answering e-mail gives you a certain sense of competency and orderliness.
On the other hand, going out there and making sales intimidates us. When we pick up that phone or walk into that meeting, we feel as if we're imposing on others. We frequently don't know exactly what to say. And, let's face it, rejection is always a real possibility.
But to succeed we have to sell. So here's a very quick refresher course on keys to successful sales:
Change your attitude. It's natural to think of sales calls as an imposition on others. But if you're offering your customer something they truly need or want, you're doing them a service.
Give yourself a quota. My sister - who's a great salesperson - often sets a minimum number of sales calls she has to make in a day before she can quit. Set a goal of how many calls you have to make a day or a week and keep it.
Know what you're selling. You have to be able to present your product/service clearly and concisely, and know what aspects meet your customers' needs.
Listen. You can't make a sale if you're doing all the talking. Customers have to tell you what they want and need. You have no way of knowing whether your product or service will be of use to the customer unless you listen.
Start small. Many entrepreneurs would love to have Fortune 500 companies as customers. But big companies are the hardest to sell to. Start with smaller customers, and never forget them even once you're successful. They can be the backbone of a company.
Build relationships. People buy from other people. Develop relationships with your customers. You can compete with big business by building strong customer relationships.
Be persistent rather than insistent. Most people think you have to be "pushy" to be a successful salesperson. You don't. You just have to stick with it.
Keep your calendar out. When you make a sales call, many customers won't need your product or service at that time. But they may later, so ask when you can call them again. Then remember to do so.
Follow up. You've met a lot of people at all those mixers and trade shows you've attended. Call them and follow up. Turn those leads into customers.
Finally, make sales an ongoing process. Sales are an integral part of your company. To be successful, go out there and make sales!
Nineteen Minutes: A novel by Jodi Picoult
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