Selling is tedious. Selling is tiring. Selling is slow.
Sales are the reason your business exists.
Millions of pages have been written on the sales process, strategy and tactics the message, the approach and the follow through. Who has time to rifle through all those thousands of books? I need to get money in the door…NOW!
As a small business owner you want to cut to the chase, how am I going to make a sale today? Like a diligent farmer, if you have been preparing the soil, planting your seeds, and tending the fields then something will grow and hopefully soon you can reap the rewards.
Prepare the soil:
Create materials. Brand, website, brochures… all the things you need to tell your story and explain how you solve a problem.
Plant the seeds:
Make contact. Look for companies and individuals who need what you’ve got; call, mail or stop by and make the introduction.
Tend the field:
Stay in touch. Provide helpful information, send incentives, create news and provide a reason to give you a try.
Depending on the product/service, as well as the buying cycle and industry climate it may take a week or it might take years to see the fruit. Stay steadfast, it may not happen as soon as you would like, but eventually with enough cultivation something will grow.