You are doing it wrong…
Posted on | December 16, 2008 | No Comments
So many technology companies are started by engineers, delivery or consultant types and are rarely able to grow or survive. What causes it? Why does it happen repeatedly? Let’s take a closer look…
1. Techies like to sell features and benefits. If one person bought it everyone will.
2. Non-sales minded people or people coming from the buyer’s chair think sales is EASY. They do not respect the sales profession or the process. They then try to hire someone to do sales for them and pay them commission only or a $20K salary.
3. They think brochures, websites and white papers telling people how smart they are sells stuff.
4. The partners will bring me leads! They embark on spending a lot of time building a relationship with vendors, partners, channel, etc… If you do not understand the intricacies of the sales & marketing within a channel this equals a lot of effort, frustration and little if any business. (This is usually because they are afraid of sales and do not want to “cold call” or contact people they are not comfortable with.)
5. Now that I have someone hired back in #2 make them do everything, make more calls, write more proposals, meet more people… It is a numbers game and it will all shake out in the end. THEN FIRE THEM AND START THIS PROCESS ALL OVER…
So what can we do about these problems? How do we help these companies survive or grow? A few simple steps to get started.
1. Tell them to talk to someone that is from the sales & marketing world within their industry. Not their friend or neighbor. Someone who has been there… done that with multiple companies. Big and small. Ask them how it all happens. Ask them to tell you more about how they achieved success.
2. Look at the process like a technology project. If it is in terms you can understand it may help. Break down the entire sales process into rational chunks or iterations and begin to understand what happens in each piece and begin to think of sales from a 360 degree viewpoint. Without sales there is no business. (IF YOU CAN NOT DO THIS YOU REALLY NEED TO TALK TO AN EXPERT!)
3. If you get past # 2 you need to think about how you will communicate with your universe. This is where the convergence of sales, markketing and technology happens. You can create a conveyor belt of opportunity if you leverage the smart people and technology that are out there. Think of it as outsourcing an non-core competency. Are you a SOX IT Audit firm or a Sales Consultancy? Get it? This is the foundation for success in a Sales 2.0 world.
4. If you are small and you do not have any money, find some. If you can not dedicate full-time to selling or if you can not do it because you don’t have the skills you are in a difficult spot. This is all of your eggs in one basket syndrome or stuck in the seller – doer cycle. This can be broken if you take some risk and make some investment. Sales and Marketing is a 365x24x7 function. No time better than now to start.
5. Sales is not easy. If you are the owner or founder consider getting some training while you are gaining experience. I like the Sandler Selling System. You have to begin to understand how a sales transaction works. You will find that it is much more complicated and a lot more fun once you understand it.
These are some simple steps to start you off in the right direction. If you want to talk about it more contact me at coley-perry@northwestern.edu , this is a passion of mine so I love to listen! Also you can look at my friends over at мебелиwww.maconraine.com. They always have a lot of cool ideas running around.
If you don’t pay attention to what I am saying you are still using “Hope” as your Strategy.
Comments
Leave a Reply
About Coley
Coley Perry is a 15 year veteran of the sales and marketing grind. Most of his experience is in and around the intersection of sales, marketing, change management, technology and business process helping clients solve business problems through innovative solutions and consulting. He has built sales teams, go-to-market strategies, demand generation engines and sustainable revenue streams. Currently his passion is focused on the convergence of sales, marketing and technology. He wrote a lot of checks to Columbia College and Northwestern University but learned the most from The “Second City” Training Center in Chicago where he studied the Art of Improv.
