The 9 Big Mistakes Early Founders Forget To Do
This article has been written by Kieran Perry.
“If we all did the things, we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves” Thomas Edison
I have sold products and services in many varied sectors over the last 25 years, and across that period of time I have been responsible for a total of over £2 Billion in sales for companies.
My breadth of experience has taught me that I truly didn’t need to concern myself with what the product was that I was selling, but instead to focus purely on what my customers needed, and more importantly, to focus on removing the barriers that stood in their way from purchasing what I was selling.
Successful selling….. means predicting, pursuing, and solving problems before they stop the sale happening.
My name is Kieran Perry, I am an experienced business coach London and sales expert. I provide practical business advice, business coaching, and bespoke sales training to business owners, directors, start-ups and individuals in a variety of sectors across the UK
To be a successful startup you need energy, to be motivated, to have confidence, a positive attitude, you need to be a self-starter and disciplined in your work, but most of all you need to have a can-do attitude to and be realistic with your financial figures.
Defining And Targeting The Right Customer
The most important customers to a business are not always those that generate the most profit but those that can unlock the most value in your business.
Create A Profitable Sales Funnel
A sales funnel is the way you find and deal with your potential customer from the very beginning to the end result of converting them into a sale. In my experience all failing sales funnels have one thing in common, they give an incomplete picture to the buyer.
Understanding What The Customer Values
A customer may pay more for your service if you can guarantee a delivery date or unique solution to a need. Customers can be led by their hearts and emotions – for example “oh I love that brand – I have to have that, loads of my friends use that brand” – so what does this mean? – it means that they are driven by their desire over the practical issue of price.
Improving Your Offering
Before you begin the process of selling to a customer, you need to understand what makes your product or service different from your competitors. This is the key to creating a belief in the true value of what you have to sell and how to sell it. If you sell online only, look at your website from a customer’s perspective. Does it give me all the details I need to make a decision, delivery times, sizes, colour, returns policy, special offers and look and feel as professional as it should do?
Building Trust And Integrity
Don’t get misled by titles or organization charts, titles can be extremely misleading and vary from company to company – if unsure who to deal with ask who does what. Think about what questions you could ask that show interest and understanding of your client. When asking a question, keep it fluid and not too regimented.
Improving Your Customer Contact
There are a number of reasons meetings or calls with promising prospects don’t result in a next step, one of the most common problems in this area is having no reason to speak or visit again, but this is an easy fix.
Leave something for a second meeting or call.
Building Customer Relationships
A happy customer that has been delivered exceptional customer service will always want to share their experience with other people in their network. This can then lead to referrals which are another invaluable source of primary customers. A potential customer always appreciates a startup company that goes the extra mile. If your ultimate goal is to serve your customers’ needs, you will be initiating an honest trustworthy affinity which will result in successful selling.
Pricing and Offers
So, you need to understand how to build your perceived value to the customer, whilst keeping the costs to your business to a minimum. Being cheaper than your competitors doesn’t necessarily mean you will get the order, so don’t be tricked into thinking this is the way to make a sale, selling is about adding value not reducing the price. Add value – don’t always start a sales negotiation with a discount price.
Negotiation & Making The Sale Happen
As I have witnessed the business environment shift in the face of continual change, I have come to recognise that the use of inventive problem-solving techniques, when selling, is increasingly important to maintain the growth of any business. It became very apparent to me that it was how the problems and barriers in the way of a sale were perceived, pursued, and solved that made all the difference. In today’s business world, it is increasingly important to approach selling with a problem-solving approach to the barriers in front of a sale – this will set you apart from the rest.
Are you looking for more ways to grow your business? Here is an article on Best Business Growth Strategies for Startups.
