Sep 12 2007
Aim Small, Miss Small
The JF Guest Author Spot
“Aim Small, Miss Small” by Leanne Hoagland-Smith
In the movie “The Patriot“, Mel Gibson as a father tells his two young songs to “Aim Small, Miss Small” as this family works together to save a son and an older brother. Are business sales truly any different?
When we learn to “aim small, miss small”, we can better answer the 5 Why Questions of:
• Why me as the Seller?
• Why you as the Buyer?
• Why your products or services as the Seller?
• Why should I buy now?
• Why should I pay this price?
When you can answer each of these Whys, you are aiming small and therefore missing small. However, if you can’t answer each why, then you are aiming big and missing even larger.
In sales, when you determine the first why, you as the seller, you are actually creating a unique selling proposition. This may or may not be your tag line. As the market place becomes even more crowded, you may have to re-brand yourself to further differentiate you from everyone else. I call this being the “red jacket in the sea of gray suits.”
Within your strategic plan, there should be a marketing plan. This marketing plan helps to address the second Why. With greater clarity specific to your target market, there will be more small aims and more small misses.
Your business and therefore products or services were created to provide a solution. You saw a need within the market place and responded. This is the third Why. For example, I have 3 successful clients who are in promotional marketing, but are responding to different needs within the same marketplace.
To answer the fourth Why begins with your skills as a sales person. You have properly qualified your prospects. Now your open ended questions allow you to widen the gap between where your prospects are now and where they wish to be.
The fifth why is usually answered first and this haste in many cases loses the sale. I call this the 3Ps Sales Virus. What happens is that salespeople infected with this virus ending up puking product, price or proposal before the relationship is even established. As mentioned last week, many in sales answer the fifth Why question of price first. They are infected with what I call the 3-Ps Virus. Before the relationship is built, they puke one if not all of these Ps: product, price or proposal.
Would you like to increase your sales? Then, you may find Simply Speaking, Increase Sales By.. a combination e book and e workbook, of interest at re marketing, selling and planning skills are explored and leveraged to get you more money in the bank.
Leanne Hoagland-Smith, The Chief People Officer, is a nationally (USA) recognized business expert who works with those who want to reach that next level of success. Contact her at 219-759-5601 or visit www.processspecialist.com
Today’s News: Some of you may remember the somewhat light-hearted JF 2006 Directory Awards which Chris Knight over at Ezine Articles picked up on: Why do I mention this today? Well, this year I am going to broaden the scope with more categories and open it up with a fully functional poll, which will open on December 1st and close at midnight EST on December 23rd - yep, I am going play Monsieur Claus this year and hand out the presents (prizes) on Christmas Eve - what larks!
Tomorrow: To wrap up the week appropriately: “What Exactly Is Rapport” - think you know?
