By Chuck Sink
I will need several business services and products to continue growing my business and many of them I don’t need now, or I can’t afford them yet. That’s why I want you to keep in touch so I won’t forget you.
One of the most common mantras you will hear from seasoned sales professionals is “Timing is everything.” I agree. Trying to persuade a prospective customer that he needs your product before he needs your product will annoy him. Just as bothersome is attempting to “educate” your prospect about his “pain” when he doesn’t feel any.
A careful sense of timing – to each individual customer – is critical when planning a direct selling message or making a sales call.
You may say, “yeah, but how can you possibly live inside every potential customer’s world and know when the time is right?” In traditional business development, a good CRM (customer relationship management) program works well when combined with good salesmanship. A synonym for salesmanship is relationship. So, that’s one way to use good timing but there’s a better way: It’s all the time! And here’s the best part: It’s hard, especially at first. That should be a clue that it works.
Junk goes in the trash!
First, identify your target audience by vertical industry lists or by sales prospecting so you know they have a need for your service or product. Develop your database of names, addresses, phone numbers and EMAIL ADDRESSES. Furthermore, connect with as many as possible on LinkedIn and Facebook. Follow them on Twitter. Then get to work being a sought after genius to each one of your prospects. I’ve probably lost about ¾ of you by now. For the intrigued and motivated quarter, let’s keep going on this.
Why is Apple the most successful company in the world right now? Because they are genius at what they do and how they communicate it. So you need to get busy demonstrating your
genius to all those prospects in your database. Be a collector and generator of valuable content – expertise and ideas that make people say “Hmm… or WOW! Yes, it’s hard but you can do it. If I can do it, you can do it too, maybe better!
Think about the emails you opt-in to and the supplier companies you follow. There are plenty of
great marketers who know how to put value in front of their audience on a regular, appropriately frequent basis so they are top-of-mind at all times for their products & services. So, when the time is right for their prospect to buy, guess who gets the call?
Noteworthy Education Tips
Would you like to learn more about how you position value in front of clients, customers and prospects? Start with your brand! POSITIVELY differentiate your company. Save the morning of February 14th 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM and register to attend my class on Brand Positioning at The Small Business Academy in Manchester, NH. Use coupon code chucksink12 for a 10% discount.
