I can often be heard to say; “Sales solves every problem”.
But, is that really ‘true’? Especially, when you factor in the ‘Business Unusual’ times we find ourselves in.
Think of a business problem your Company might face.
The one thing that absolutely solves just about any business problem is an increase in Sales. Generating more sales solves the frustrating business problems that are in your way.
For example.
Want to hire more key people into the business?
Increase sales so you can afford those hires. Know the number required to make those hires, build a plan to afford those hires, work the plan.
Need to launch a new product or service?
Increase sales so you can invest in the team that will build and deliver that new product or service. Know the number. Build a plan. Work the plan.
Burning through your cash every month?
Increase sales so you are in a cash-flow positive position. Know the number. Build a plan. Work the plan.
Clients complaining that your Customer Support is lacking?
Increase sales so you can improve the team, processes and performance. Know the number. Build a plan. Work the plan.
Know that you need to invest more in Marketing?
Increase sales so you can establish a clear budget for your Marketing investment. Know the number. Build a plan. Work the plan.
My experience has almost exclusively been in ‘start-ups’. ‘Start-ups’ that we successfully took to multi-£M, multi-national; ‘Scale-Ups’.
We only ever had the money we had or made. When we needed more cash, we worked out a number, we built a plan and we worked the plan.
Those businesses funded themselves organically through Sales and associated profits. We never sought outside investment.
Most ‘bootstrapped’ businesses have resource problems.
These businesses know that there is more opportunity in their marketplace. They know they are not taking full advantage of the market opportunity.
These businesses focus, prioritise and chose their ‘battles’, which often means leaving opportunities; ‘cash on the table’.
Whilst, sales solves every problem, we must know where to start.
Contrary to popular belief, now is not a “dead” time in terms of business development and relationship building.
Here are 4 simple strategies you can use right now to improve your Sales for now and for the foreseeable future.
1) Go higher up the Org Chart than you are normally comfortable doing
Guess what? CXO’s, Founders, Directors, and other hard-to-reach roles are a little easier to speak to right now. Whilst the rest of the organisation maybe in ‘lockdown’, the Very Important Top Officer (VITO) is ‘looking up’ and ‘looking forward’.
They are behind their desk (albeit their home office) planning and preparing for the future.
They are cognisant of the difficulties that might lie ahead. They are planning for their future and the future of their business.
They have less of those ‘meetings’ to attend than usual. The demand on their time may have lessened, a little.
They will certainly be more open to future-thinking Value Propositions that appear to address PAINs they are experiencing in their business today or perceive they will experience in the future.
This is the perfect time to make a call, or a one or two-line email with a request for a 5-minute call (what I call my 5 @ 5 pm strategy).
The clients I am working with that are making those calls are making more VITO-level connections, having more VITO-level connections and getting more meetings with VITO’s.
2) Build your Value Propositions specifically to current themes
In your Emails, LinkedIn engagements, voicemails, and phone calls, use your own variations on these 3 powerful approaches.
Three big issues for the current ‘Business Unusual’ times
“Given the current ‘Business Unusual’ times, I was wondering if you, like our clients, are planning to attack and solve the following three issues in the coming year.
- Insert the three common issues your clients face – the symptoms of the problems you and your organisation solve.
Do any of those resonate with you?”
Avoid making the same mistakes again
“I’m talking to a lot of business owners [ADD APPROPRIATE TITLE] at the moment who are reflecting on issues like.
- Insert the three common issues your clients face – the symptoms of the problems you and your organisation solve.
They are aiming to avoid repeating those same challenges this year.
Could that be worth us having a thirty-minute conversation?”
Getting a head-start on future challenges
“This week, I was talking to a [ADD APPROPRIATE TITLE] who told me that they wanted to get a jump-start on production [ADD APPROPRIATE OUTCOME] post these ‘Business Unusual’ times.
I wondered whether you see value on a fifteen-minute where we could discuss that?”
3) Ask directly about their annual budgetary investments
Business Owners you reach out to this will be readying themselves for their return business.
They may have ‘war-chested’ over these ‘Business Unusual’ times and be ready to make sharp investments quickly, to solve some of their biggest business challenges.
You will not get a “YES” every time you ask the questions around investment. But you do not need a “YES” every time.
My daily Sales mantra is: ‘Some will. Some will not. Some wait. So what?’.
Some portion of your Prospect list will be ‘chomping at the bit’ to get out of ‘Business Unusual’ and get back in growth mode for their business.
Find out who!
4) Do a mind-shift and ramp up daily activity targets accordingly
Now, perhaps more than ever, we need to transform our self-talk.
Do a mind shift!
Feed yourself and your team good assumptions.
For instance:
‘The competition is not calling people at the moment. We are going to ramp up our prospecting behaviours.’
Or
‘The influential Decision-makers we want to speak are working right now. We are going to speak to more VITO’s.’
Or
‘Adversity brings out the best in us. We know Sales solves every problem. We Sales are going to sell our way out of trouble.’
Or
‘Adverse times have always presented an opportunity for our business. We owe it to ourselves. We have it within us. To fight adversity and create prosperity.’
When it comes to selling your way out of any problem, I have some advice.
Doing nothing achieves just that.
Make a conscious decision to increase your prospecting activity during this critical time for business.
By doing so, you will ‘steal a march’ on your competition and leap ahead, whilst others falter.
How would you assess your current sales environment?
Excellent? Well-run? Average? At-Risk? Unsure?
If you currently assess as less than excellent it might make sense for us to have a brief conversation.
I don’t know if I can help, but I know that if we talk, we can work that out, together.
During our call you can assess me, decide if it makes sense for us to meet and talk further.
There is no pressure. If we do not think there is a good fit, we can both be honest and say “No, thanks”.
We will part as friends.
I can be reached on M: +44 (0) 7773 397810 or P: +44 (0) 118 969 1752 or email david.davies@sandler.com
You might also be interested in:
