Soooo many Small Business Owners I speak to have the same issue. “We NEED to make MORE Sales” So naturally my question to them is “So WHAT are you currently doing about it?”
Sadly the response is often DISAPPOINTING.
- NOTHING different to what I’ve always done.
- I ran an AD in the local paper.
- I employed ANOTHER Sales person
- I bought a list and I am COLD Calling them.
Sound FAMILIAR?
My advice to all Business owners is, START EARLIER, MUCH EARLIER than you think.
If you are NOT Marketing and setting up Business today for Sales to fall in 3,6 or even 12 months time then you are leaving it TOO late.
You see the reason cold calling is DIFFICULT, and one off ads in newspapers often lead NO-WHERE is that people (mostly) don’t buy Business products on a whim. Most Business purchases are much more CONSIDERED than Consumer purchases, and because of this, potential clients need to be EDUCATED over a period of time about the benefits to them on making a purchase from you.
Here are a few pointers to consider:
- Change your website EXPERIENCE from a Brochure to a Journey of Discover.
- Ask people to join your mailing list in exchange for something USEFUL e.g. “5 mistakes people make when purchasing …”
- Create a path for the prospects on your list to follow by starting SIMPLE and taking them along as they educate themselves on the value you can bring.
- Use STORYTELLING rather than facts and figures to get your message across.
- AUTOMATE the early contact points with prospects so you can scale up, remember many will fall off the path so the numbers need to be reflective of that.
This is not something you should be doing in the quiet times nor should you be waiting until you are DESPERATE for Sales.
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Thank you cybermagnetik. Hope to see you post many a comment and interact. Thanks for your contribution.