For many entrepreneurs and founders, the hardest of all challenges is SALES. At least, that is what they think. Everything else looks rather easy. Production, getting to know the markets, coming up with a marketing concept: all these things do not look too difficult.
But actually selling your product really hurts …
Because you have to end up with some turnover. Which is not at all easy. Again and again, for all variety of reasons, a sales contract will not be signed.
And then you get the message that promises salvation: what you need is a sales department! It will solve all your problems. Because salespersons are wizards: they work miracles and generate business. Using their wonder medicine.
But careful! It is nowhere near as easy as it looks. The very word “sales” should make us sceptical. It sounds a lot like “fails”. And we certainly do not wish to fail our customers, do we?
Salespersons also have many slogans. As I see it, some of them are not too bad:
SCL – See Them, Catch Them, Leave Them.
Well, I have my doubts that it actually works, but there is a sound to it that is to the point and catching.
Other salespersons have other strategies. They work subversively and spread
FUD – Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt.
Their trick is to generate fear, uncertainty and doubt. This is how they, first and foremost, make their potential customers uncertain. And as soon as that has been a success, they offer their own product as salvation.
My personal champion, however, is:
Train the fish to jump into the boat!
#But even here, I am sceptical. After all, I do not wish to manipulate people. But it is not really a wrong idea.
Because if you do it well, it is quite simple:
Just offer a good product! Be authentic and reliable! You must be very visible. Your product must be easy to understand. Give a good description of what you offer!
After that, look for many friends and partners. See to it that your customers are always happy! And let word-of-mouth advertising work for you.
Then your business will flourish, without anything like a “sales department”.
Note: Incidentally, for most of the entrepreneurs who at one time or other capitulated before their super ego and hired a “sales person”, it took less than a year before they had a rough awakening. They sent their wizard away. And apart from extra expenses, nothing was gained.
RMD
(Translated by EG)
P.S.
Click here: Drehscheibe for all the articles of my entrepreneur’s diary.
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