YOU AIN’T SOLD NOTHIN’ YET!

 

 

Entrepreneur & Sales Career

Food for Thought:

If you’ve never “pitched” a plan for a movie to movie investors, agents, directors, producers and big-name talent, you haven’t a clue about a sale being “hard.”

Think about it. Everything you sell is a defined product or service loaded with bells and whistles (or sometimes, empathy, sometimes good cheer, sometimes fear or apprehension), but always it is defined by size, shape, contents, features, performance, longevity, even expectation.

But until a movie is made, completely finished and ready for release, it is in constant flux… changing itself–it’s characteristics–right up until the very split second it has been filmed and is finally edited.

An actor’s unique facial expression or voice inflection has sometimes changed an entire scene on the spot. Sometimes 100’s of little changes are made during production of the end product even after being long-ago-sold-to-investors!

Try to imagine integrating this flexibility dynamic into a any object or service you represent.

The only exceptions that come to mind are those rare occasions when, for example, a surgeon being part way into an operation discovers some previously undetected issue that needs to be addressed along the way to completing the planned surgery…. or perhaps a builder following an architectural blueprint discovers the makings of a troublesome sinkhole where all or part of the structure is planned.

Consider for just a minute how many times a situation like those noted actually cross your path as a business owner or sales rep. Probably few if any, and hopefully never.

But a movie? A movie must first be sold to prospective participants and prospective investors… sometimes in that order, sometimes in reverse order, and sometimes even at the same time!

So every time you’re tempted to think you’re the original whizkid of the sales world (or, conversely, the all-time sales disaster), take a second look in the mirror!

Consider what it would be like if your product or service was changing literally every minute of every day in an effort to be constantly improved, energized, provocative, enticing… right up until the last second of purchase… and even then, often beyond purchase to the moment of consumption.

Thought about all that?

Okay, so now return to what you’re selling with newfound appreciation that the only sales problem you may truly have is learning how to put yourself in your prospect’s shoes. . . 

Customers–after all is said and done– are truly only looking for someone they feel they can trust and someone who exhibits the capabilities that warrant that trust. The more specialized and complex a product or service, the more important are these criteria.

Sales Workshops That Sell

Call Hal:     1.931.854.0474

Want more customers,

clients or patients?

 

Get your butt in gear!

 

It doesn’t matter if you are an inventor, retailer, wholesaler, manufacturer, service business, heart surgeon, veterinarian, creative genius, or lawyer.

It doesn’t matter if you have a top-notch sales team.

If you haven’t enough people paying for your products or services, stop guessing and find out why.

Where to start? Use a Focus Group with 7 or 9 or ll (an odd number works best when disagreements may surface) EXISTING clients, customers, or patients (and possibly a couple of prospects as well!).

You’ll want to recruit people who you think come across as honest and outspoken supporters of you and what you represent and will speak their minds when you’re not around.

Yes, you should NOT be present.

You need to find out what brought them to your doorstep, from where, and how, and when, and why. But you are too close to what you do to expect yourself to not feel anxious, or angry, or antagonized, or defensive in attempting to gather that information.

So start your detective work by researching who in your geographical area (and preferably someone familiar with the terms and nature of your business or professional practice or specialization), is affordable and offers the right kind of experience to represent your interests without risking your reputation.

You need someone who is sensitive to your business or professional needs but who can probe a responder without insulting participants and without playing head games or defending your interests.

This person must also know how to structure and ask the kinds of questions that get the results you need. This needs to go far beyond a typical office or online survey.

Find –first and foremost– someone (a consultant/coach/ trainer type) who has experience with putting together and running Focus Groups… someone who can initiate and maintain a productive group discussion, who can read body language, who probably has an assistant, and who knows the most appropriate meeting place arrangements (NOT in your office or place of business).

You’ll need someone who can arrange and distribute token thank you gifts for participants, conduct unobtrusive (complete session) audio recordings and note-taking and summarize highlights for you . . . someone who knows how and when and where to set up and conduct Focus Group sessions . . . and how to orchestrate participants to bring meaningful feedback, ideas, suggestions and input to the surface.

You should expect immediate next-day feedback from the moderator, followed up by a detailed report (plus the actual session recording and recommendations) usually within a week.

It may be necessary to conduct two or three sessions (each with different participants) if the business or professional interests are complex (as perhaps with a heart surgeon who must simultaneously represent the best interests of each patient, each patient family, the institution involved and the doctor’s staff . . . each and all requiring separate and delicate care and attention.

But the bottom line is that you are likely to get the information you need to begin immediately to reverse the problem, and initiate an exciting new growth period that meets customer/client/patient needs better than ever before.

Get a free (No-strings attached)

10-minute briefing. Call Hal now:

1.931.854.9474