Business help

pedronomix

lone hunter wrote: »

exactly as I said before I need to meet the right man at the right time (get him out of that hole)

And in post#30 I outlined a strategy and plan of action as to how you could achieve this. Hard graft though, but if was easy everybody would be doing it!!

pedronomix

I am a bit slow, but I think I now understand why none of your mentors suited you.

lone hunter

pedronomix wrote: »

I am a bit slow, but I think I now understand why none of your mentors suited you.

no your not slow I made a mistake but that's your second rub , thanks for your help

pedronomix

You are most welcome. Would always prefer to be described as abrupt/in your face but useful, than nice!!

WicklowTiger

Have to say, I empathise with the OP. I'm in much the same boat - set up a business selling and implementing enterprise software systems (CRM and ERP) in 2009. Business has grown organically and steadily over the past 5 years, mainly through word of mouth. I've always seen myself more as a tech than a salesperson, but have learned the hard way the difficulties of hiring and keeping sales people in a deeply technical role. In the past 18 months I've realised the error of my ways, and have since recruited a team to help with the technical side of the business. The idea is that (one day!) enough of my time is freed up to focus on sales.

We have grown to the point though where the time has come that we need to widen the net, word of mouth is just no longer enough. A strategy for marketing is needed to generate well qualified leads to feed the sales pipeline (suppose it's time I practiced what I preach!) So it's another new learning curve for me, as someone once said, if you're not working outside your comfort zone then you're not pushing yourself hard enough.

pedroeibar1

WicklowTiger wrote: »

Have to say, I empathise with the OP. I'm in much the same boat - set up a business selling and implementing enterprise software systems (CRM and ERP) in 2009. Business has grown organically and steadily over the past 5 years, mainly through word of mouth. I've always seen myself more as a tech than a salesperson, but have learned the hard way the difficulties of hiring and keeping sales people in a deeply technical role. In the past 18 months I've realised the error of my ways, and have since recruited a team to help with the technical side of the business. The idea is that (one day!) enough of my time is freed up to focus on sales.

We have grown to the point though where the time has come that we need to widen the net, word of mouth is just no longer enough. A strategy for marketing is needed to generate well qualified leads to feed the sales pipeline (suppose it's time I practiced what I preach!) So it's another new learning curve for me, as someone once said, if you're not working outside your comfort zone then you're not pushing yourself hard enough.

Very interesting post. Great to see a success story particularly one of business growth through the s#1tty economic timeframe you mention. However, I wonder why you chose some of the language you used ( Business has grown …. mainly through word of mouth……. same boat……. error of our ways, etc.,) Am I incorrectly misinterpreting this as slight negativity? Maybe I'm being clouded by what the OP wrote, because the same applies to him?

The business did not grow by accident. I’d bet if you sat down and thought more about it, the growth was due to much more than simple ‘word of mouth’ – there probably were significant and exceptional service / design / product / delivery events that triggered those referrals and gave you a valued position in your sector. Never underestimate that achievement, many companies would give huge amounts to get ‘word of mouth’ referrals! Find out what those referral triggers were and see how they can be repeated and maximised.

"I've always seen myself more as a tech than a salesperson......" – So? Nothing wrong with that! Some people are better at certain things than others – so play to those strengths. Operating within your comfort zone (not drifting in it) is IMO not a bad thing. Also, if a tough sales person meets up with a "techy" buyer, sometimes the closure rate is zero because they are not on the same wavelength, no empathy, the buyer uneasy with the patter, particularly from a high-pressure salesperson. Somebody that fully understands the issues facing a potential customer and has the tech know-how to show how the product can resolve those issues can often be the best salesperson, even if not coming across as a sales ‘wizard’. Also, your company being around for that length of time is a positive, an advantage over many newcomers to the market who might not be around next year.

B2B sales (particularly of a service like yours) are all about preparation – a bit like painting a room. The more the job is prepared in advance, the easier the actual ‘work’ becomes. Nobody can pre-qualify leads for you IMO, it never, ever worked for me when I tried outsourcing it. By doing it in-house you have no surprises, and it also shows to the potential buyer that you are sufficiently interested to have done your homework. Decide what sector & segment you want to target, then identify a block of companies and research them, fully. Set a target of X per week. Find out if any of your existing customers can give you an ‘in’ – e.g. Hi Mr. Potential, I’m Joe Smith and I was talking to our customer / your supplier Bill Bloggs who uses our product and he mentioned that you might be interested in looking at it. Could I have 15 minutes to show you what we do? ….. Have a basic version on PowerPoint, do not depend on their guest wifi connectivity, it often will not work and will negatively impact on your product! Brand it with the target’s logo if you like, saying ‘we did this for the demo, just to illustrate what it would look like.’ Nine out of ten will be flattered that you took the trouble.

It’s a bit like the OP’s issue with finding the right person to approach, because the really hard part is to correctly identify the best person to approach – selling say a CRM programme should it be (in a big company) the CIO? The CFO? The head of marketing? Head of sales? Don’t be afraid to phone the MD’s office to ask who is the best person to contact, then call him/her and say “Mr MD’s office says that you are the best person to contact about our xyx." That often gets you in the door.

Selling is about being able to bounce back after a rejection and moving on to the next prospect with a positive mindset.:)

WicklowTiger

pedroeibar1 wrote: »

Very interesting post. Great to see a success story particularly one of business growth through the s#1tty economic timeframe you mention. However, I wonder why you chose some of the language you used ( Business has grown …. mainly through word of mouth……. same boat……. error of our ways, etc.,) Am I incorrectly misinterpreting this as slight negativity? Maybe I'm being clouded by what the OP wrote, because the same applies to him?

The business did not grow by accident. I’d bet if you sat down and thought more about it, the growth was due to much more than simple ‘word of mouth’ – there probably were significant and exceptional service / design / product / delivery events that triggered those referrals and gave you a valued position in your sector. Never underestimate that achievement, many companies would give huge amounts to get ‘word of mouth’ referrals! Find out what those referral triggers were and see how they can be repeated and maximised.

"I've always seen myself more as a tech than a salesperson......" – So? Nothing wrong with that! Some people are better at certain things than others – so play to those strengths. Operating within your comfort zone (not drifting in it) is IMO not a bad thing. Also, if a tough sales person meets up with a "techy" buyer, sometimes the closure rate is zero because they are not on the same wavelength, no empathy, the buyer uneasy with the patter, particularly from a high-pressure salesperson. Somebody that fully understands the issues facing a potential customer and has the tech know-how to show how the product can resolve those issues can often be the best salesperson, even if not coming across as a sales ‘wizard’. Also, your company being around for that length of time is a positive, an advantage over many newcomers to the market who might not be around next year.

B2B sales (particularly of a service like yours) are all about preparation – a bit like painting a room. The more the job is prepared in advance, the easier the actual ‘work’ becomes. Nobody can pre-qualify leads for you IMO, it never, ever worked for me when I tried outsourcing it. By doing it in-house you have no surprises, and it also shows to the potential buyer that you are sufficiently interested to have done your homework. Decide what sector & segment you want to target, then identify a block of companies and research them, fully. Set a target of X per week. Find out if any of your existing customers can give you an ‘in’ – e.g. Hi Mr. Potential, I’m Joe Smith and I was talking to our customer / your supplier Bill Bloggs who uses our product and he mentioned that you might be interested in looking at it. Could I have 15 minutes to show you what we do? ….. Have a basic version on PowerPoint, do not depend on their guest wifi connectivity, it often will not work and will negatively impact on your product! Brand it with the target’s logo if you like, saying ‘we did this for the demo, just to illustrate what it would look like.’ Nine out of ten will be flattered that you took the trouble.

It’s a bit like the OP’s issue with finding the right person to approach, because the really hard part is to correctly identify the best person to approach – selling say a CRM programme should it be (in a big company) the CIO? The CFO? The head of marketing? Head of sales? Don’t be afraid to phone the MD’s office to ask who is the best person to contact, then call him/her and say “Mr MD’s office says that you are the best person to contact about our xyx." That often gets you in the door.

Selling is about being able to bounce back after a rejection and moving on to the next prospect with a positive mindset.:)

Some great points there. Many thanks for your detailed reply, pedroeibar1 . I don't want to take over the OP's thread, but in summary what you've outlined above was where I was three years ago. Saw myself as the tech/business guy, on the assumption that all that was needed was a salesperson. Three or four attempts later led to a eureka moment about 18 months ago where I realised that I had the whole thing upside down. Starred asking customers for referrals. Started asking suppliers for leads. Funny thing, no one said no.

It is interesting that you perceive negativity in what I said earlier, as you're coming from the perspective of a completely external viewpoint. My wife, and others around me regularly tell me they can't understand my optimism! But all feedback, particularly from unconnected business people, is very much appreciated. Only wish I had posted on here in early 2012 when I was going out of my mind!

NotaSheep

From what you have said I gather that you operate in a B2B environment. I would look at 2 things. 1) What is your value proposition? Are you communicating the value of your product/service effectively to the potential customer? From your description, they fail to get excited about your offering, so maybe revisit your pitch, going back to the old problem-solution rationale. 2) What is the purchasing decision making pattern of your typical customer? Are you talking to the right person in the company? These days it is relatively easy to identify people by name in any industry. Linkedin, blogs, online articles, PR statemements, you name it - and not forgetting the old trade fair - attending one of those can always give you some face time with key people in a company.