DEBBIE LARRY-IZAMOJE
I sometimes attend trade fairs to monitor our clients and show my support and it beats me that everything I attend a trade fair there is always one stall that seems to have mastered the art of selling. So much so that it pulls crowds of people not intend to be in its target market. In my years of building of Nigeria’s fastest digital agencies, I have realized that you do not get paid by closing deals, but by offering value in advance.
If you’ve been struggling with sales all through 2019, here are 6 tips that will help you if implemented properly;
- GET YOUR FINANCIAL MINDSET RIGHT: If you’re too comfortable you’ll never be good at sales, if you do not have a target you’ll never be aggressive with sales. If you’re too proud you’ll never close a deal! You have to think far. The worst sales people are comfortable people. Stop being Lazy and giving excuses as to what or why you don’t need money because if you think you don’t need money you will probably never get enough of it. People who have been able to succeed at sales have made up their minds to get their money right which is why you can’t sell on behalf of a business you know nothing about.
- FOLLOW UP: The money is in following up, it’s not at that meet and greet you’ve paid to attend. Following up is hard and it is said that only 25% of millennial sales people make a follow up call. As a sales person you have to get ready to receive “No” the first time, In short, Most of your sales will be made after the 5th – 8th try depending on the industry you operate in. Always remember that the fortune is in the follow up
- MIX UP YOUR STRATEGIES: The beauty of being a businessperson is that you get to take risks. Why be sales people if you won’t dare to mix up strategies and find what works for you. If you do only online marketing you need to add personal selling. Use the internet, online marketing and offline marketing , personal visits, phones, referrals and influencers. Keep trying different methods until you find what works.
- WRITE UP THE DEAL: It’s also important to do your research before a pitch, find where the decision maker is and pitch there. If you are not fortunate to meet a decision maker, always have your portfolio or samples with you so that this can be shown to the decision maker. Familiarize yourself with writing emails. Sometimes the person that will sign off or the decision maker may not be the one in communication with you. Always write! You can also refer to it after many years.
- TRAINING: When you stop learning, you stop earning. Keep training, keep learning and keep studying. The way sales are done now is not how it was done 3 years ago. You have to see each pitch as a competition you are training for. Always be ready and ensure that as a CEO, your employees are also as knowledgeable about the industry and competition as you.
- GIVE YOUR CONSUMERS OPTIONS: You should understudy your target market and provide different variations of the same product or service. This is because you do not want your customers feeling like they need to step out of your brand/organization to be fully satisfied. If you offer hair services consider adding or partnering with a makeup service company, if you offer traditional marketing consider a partnership with a young and vibrant agency like Image Boosters. Always ensure that your consumers have options while still working with you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debbie Larry-Izamoje AKA The Entrepreneur’s Best-Friend, holds a BSc in Information management from the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom. And Msc in management from University College London (UCL). She has also secured certificates in user innovation from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Innovation and strategy from Harvard University.
She is the founder of Image Boosters a Communications and strategy agency aimed at assisting SME’s, with core services in social media management and business strategy consultation.
Website: www.imageboosters.com.ng Instagram: @dee_larry @imageboosters_
Email: contactus@imageboosters.com.ng or debbie@imageboosters.com.ng
