Some Truths about Sales

I had a conversation with someone the other day about prospecting...

'If your product is good people will come to you and buy." he said 

"OK...so what if no-one knows about you?"

"Then you need to invest in marketing." he replied 

"How much do you think that would cost?"

"I don't know exactly."

"And on the premise you are successful, how predictable & consistent are incoming marketing leads?"

"Depends."

"Depends on what?"

"Well...if you invest enough."

"What if you're a start-up with little to no funds?"

"Then you could use social media."

"And how much time would that take to generate a steady stream of potential clients?"

"I don't know."

"So how can you run a business when your 'Go to Market' strategy is with the marketing Gods? 

And what if you discover 6 months in your product market fit just isn't right?"

"Well it's better than cold calling or emailing people. It really turns me off." 

"Why?"

"Because the people who call are pushy and don't listen."

"What if they weren't & actually asked good questions, listened and seemed to want to understand?"

"Well...salespeople are never like that."

"What if I told you some are?"

"Well then that would be different...but I wouldn't believe it."

There's a sea of prejudice against salespeople.

To stand out isn't that hard. 

You just have to do the opposite of what people expect...turn the stereotype on its head. 

- Forget about you.

- Make everything about the prospect.

- Disqualify quickly those who aren't a fit.

- Help those who genuinely need your solution.

- And do so eloquently and with skill.

#sales #selling #prospecting