3 Simple Truths To Sales for Entrepreneurs
Selling is scary. It’s difficult to get someone to believe in and lay money on the line for the thing you are trying to sell. It can also come with a lot of pressure because the saying is true….cash is king.
Admittedly, I was not great at sales for a really long time and I learned these lessons the hard way (I’m not sure there is a better way to learn).
There are a lot of factors that go into selling. A good product, a validated market, a real understanding of your product’s value. And all of that can be before you even sit down with someone who wants to buy!
Here are some of the most important lessons I’ve learned about sales along the way…
Always take the meeting
This was a lesson I learned from a mentor early on. He told me to always take the meeting because you never know when people will come back around in 5, 10, or 15 years. The odds are that you will be glad you took a meeting.
I have seen a lot of posts out there that say things along the lines of, “Learn to Say No!” While I do agree that it is important to guard your time, as it is your most valuable asset, I fear that most people interpret this as saying no to people that are weird, people they don’t like, or people that they think won’t provide them value. The real point of saying “no” is knowing your limits. Not writing people off.
As it turns out, selling is really more about networking. You don’t want to be the person who crams a product down someone else’s throat. Instead, you want to be the person or company everyone thinks about when they think about coding, websites, apps, design work, tech, after school programs, building applications, or whatever your company does.
The best way to accomplish this is with genuine interactions that don’t always consist of driving a deal home.
Be genuine
People have met enough snake oil salesmen. They want a genuine experience. A partner who is going to shoot them straight. Someone they trust.
A great mentor once told me that the secret to selling is never sell something you don’t believe in.
Some people interpret this as believing in the product they sell. While it is great to love the product that you sell, there are very few products that will fit everyone’s needs. There are points where you have to acknowledge that there might not be a good fit with the person you are trying to sell to.
If you start to feel like it might not be a good fit halfway through the meeting, let the customer know. They’ll respect you more for it and as their needs evolve, progress, and grow, they’ll always remember that you shot them straight.
People remember great interactions. Don’t be surprised if the customer with whom you narrowly missed a sale comes back with a need that is a better fit later.
People will know if you are full of shit. So be genuine.
Selling is a long game
In case you haven’t realized this, selling is more about the long game. Make a relationship today that will have impact tomorrow.
Most people get into the mode where they feel like they just have to bail water out of the boat and they let sales become a zero sum game. Don’t let the pressure get to you (I know it’s easier said than done). You have to realize that no matter how hard you work on selling, the more you focus on the short game, the more desperate your situation will get.
Remember, customers come back around. You may not have a great fit in the first meeting and that is okay.
Generally people you meet with will fall into one of three categories:
- Ready to pull the trigger because the product is a great fit. Let’s go!
- Not quite ready and/or the product or service might need some adjustment to be a fit. Let’s take some time to work on it.
- Not a good fit. Things won’t work out this time around.
If you come across a customer in the first category, you’ve struck gold. Good for you! This is usually a hard scenario to come by when you’re first getting started.
More often, you’ll find a lot of customers who fall in the second category. They’ll require some extra time in the form of explanation of processes that need adjusting on their end to fit your product, or what features you need to change about what you offer in order to fit their needs. This is where it is important to track the time it takes to close the sale (mind your sales cycle). You can spend a lot of time in this space and you have to be sure that these types of customers aren’t really in the third category.
If they are in the third category, that is okay. Don’t be mad, don’t kick your customer to the curb, and don’t write things off. You never know when someone is going to come back around with a better fit.
The point is, all three of those scenarios can work in your favor. It just might not be today.
Always be cool and play the long game. You’ll make relationships today that will have impact tomorrow.
All in all, selling really isn’t about forcing things on people. It’s more about demonstrating expertise, determining fit, and providing value. Those things can happen in one minute or 10 years.
Just remember to get out there, be genuine, and play the long game. Patience is the key.
If you have an issue remembering this, take a listen to Gn’R here. Axl will help you figure it out.
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Alex Sejdinaj is a cofounder of South Bend Code School, GiveGrove, and Code Works. He loves building cool stuff that helps people.
