It does not matter whether you own a business or work for one, the one thing that you need to understand is that sales and developing a business go hand in hand. While working hard is important, working smart is far more essential, as are some other tips and tricks and here are the ones that you need to keep in mind at all times:
- You need to think of your business as a constantly evolving entity: The one common mistake that most people tend to make is that they think of their business as only the end game, that is, they are not able to see beyond the final success. It is important to remember that your business is an ever growing entity and constant attention and effort will be required to make it expand. You need to constantly create new strategies and tweak existing ones, to win new clients and maintain the ones that you already have.
- Don’t waste your time or that of others: You need to have a clear understanding of what your business is all about. You need to know what kind of clients you will be going after, right from the start, which means that you will not be wasting your time or the time of others. It is also imperative that you drive the same into your team members, because when they go out for business development or sales calls, they should be spending time interacting with the right set of people.
- Don’t waste time on the wrong people: In any organisation, it is the head honchos who will make all the important decisions, which means that you should not be wasting time on the interns or the people who are in the lower levels of management. Take some time to do the research and figure who calls the shots in the particular organisation and try to set up the meeting with them.
- Do spend some time, finding who the decision maker is: When you are dealing with large companies, there could be more than one decision maker, which is why you need to do your homework before you head for a meeting. There is quite the possibility that there are multiple people who can influence the final decision making process, at which time, you should talk to all of them. This way, you will have a greater chance of making the final deal possible. As a matter of fact, the more contacts you are able to generate in an office, the better for you!
- Listening is at times more important than talking: There are so many times when you will learn a lot more listening, than you might talking! When you are meeting with a client, you need to understand that what they need is far more important than what you might have to offer. Rather than selling what you have, try to figure out what your client needs and then tailor you pitch in accordance. Each client is different, which is why you need to listen to them carefully and make sure that you what you offer to them, is in keeping with what they are looking for.
- Work on retaining your clients: While winning over new clients is a part of growing and scaling your business, another important part is retaining your existing clients. When you have clients who are loyal to your brand, you will be able to reach greater heights. Keep in constant touch with your clients, tell them about the new products or services that you have to offer, ask them for referrals and in case their referrals pan out, reward them in some manner. And do make sure that your clients are never unhappy, because unhappy clients will never convert into business.
- Never let go of your get go spirit – Business will rarely come looking for you; almost every time, you will have to go after it and grab the opportunities that come your way. Keep a finger on the market and make sure that you are always at the right place at the right time. Once you have the business in hand, you need to make sure that you do everything to keep it!