Making your first sale
Making your first sale
Based on this experience, here is the advice I offer to anyone who is about to make their first sale.
Make a list – write down the names and contact details of friends/family/colleagues/contacts who you think would be interested in your product or service.
Make your pitch – contact the people on your list (preferably via email) setting out the benefits to them of buying what you have and the cost involved. End the note by saying. “if you don’t mind, I will give you a call in a few days to follow up on this note and explore your interest in this opportunity..” or something similar.
Make the call – do as you promised and call your contact. If you need to, do some research ahead of time so you know if they have just moved jobs/made an important speech/been in the news etc. This way, you will sound informed. When you make the call, stand up and smile. This will ensure you sound confident, professional and efficient.
Call again – if your contact is not in, agree a time and date to call again and then do so. As you can imagine, they may be top of your priority list as you would like the business but you may not be at the top of theirs! You can’t afford to take this personally – just be persistent and if the contact is interested in what you have to offer, your persistence will pay off. If the call leads to a meeting, go in well prepared and be willing to negotiate.
Make some noise – once you have secured your first sale – with permission from the client – shout about it! Produce a press release or upload the news on your website so others can see that you are now well and truly in business!
Emma Jones is Managing Director of Redbrick Enterprises Ltd & Editor of Enterprise Nation, the home business website.
Making your first sale - To learn more about this author, visit Emma Jones's Website.
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Having started and run two companies, I have learned a thing or two about selling. I have done enough – and know enough – to have kept my businesses in profit and customers coming back.
Based on this experience, here is the advice I offer to anyone who is about to make their first sale.
Make a list – write down the names and contact details of friends/family/colleagues/contacts who you think would be interested in your product or service.
Make your pitch – contact the people on your list (preferably via email) setting out the benefits to them of buying what you have and the cost involved. End the note by saying. “if you don’t mind, I will give you a call in a few days to follow up on this note and explore your interest in this opportunity..” or something similar.
Make the call – do as you promised and call your contact. If you need to, do some research ahead of time so you know if they have just moved jobs/made an important speech/been in the news etc. This way, you will sound informed. When you make the call, stand up and smile. This will ensure you sound confident, professional and efficient.
Call again – if your contact is not in, agree a time and date to call again and then do so. As you can imagine, they may be top of your priority list as you would like the business but you may not be at the top of theirs! You can’t afford to take this personally – just be persistent and if the contact is interested in what you have to offer, your persistence will pay off. If the call leads to a meeting, go in well prepared and be willing to negotiate.
Make some noise – once you have secured your first sale – with permission from the client – shout about it! Produce a press release or upload the news on your website so others can see that you are now well and truly in business!
Emma Jones is Managing Director of Redbrick Enterprises Ltd & Editor of Enterprise Nation, the home business website.
Making your first sale - To learn more about this author, visit Emma Jones's Website.
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David BarrDavid Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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