Tweet

What are the 2 Missing Links that Guarantee Sales Strategy Failures?

Written by: Cheryl A. Clausen

Article Overview: Have you ever wondered why so many hopeful business owners fail in spite of having a good product or service to sell? The reason isn’t location. It isn’t even insufficient start up cash.

What are the 2 Missing Links that Guarantee Sales Strategy Failures?

Have you ever wondered why so many hopeful business owners fail in spite of having a good product or service to sell? The reason isn't location. It isn't even insufficient start up cash. Nope, it's something much easier to fix and control. You can have the best location and still fail. It happens every day.

You can start with a cash war chest and it still won't save you.

In order for any sales strategy to succeed, and bring you the sales you need to sustain a business that strategy must be built on a strong foundation. When you build the foundation for your business you must have these two links figured out. In fact, you should have these links pegged before you even start... before you invest one thin dime in out of pocket expenses.

The first link in your sales strategy is DECIDING who your customers are. Yes, you read that right I said "deciding". The worst thing you can do is develop a business and hope someone will show up to buy, or hope you can chase after enough potential buyers to build a business.

This is the first link because it's that important. If you don't specifically know who you want to sell to you can't possibly develop communications that will get their attention. Yet alone gain their interest. It will be nearly impossible for you to secure actual sales appointments.

Sure you'll be able to get a lot of "let's get to know each other appointments" and other waste of time meetings. But you won't get real sales appointments where you openly discuss how you might work together.

The next link is POSITIONING your business in the market place. Your market doesn't need another also ran business. Your business must be important to the people you want to sell to for a specific reason.

Ideally that reason will be related to a specific difficult to solve problem, or hard to achieve solution you can help people like your customers get.

When you get these 2 links right your sales strategies are well on the way to success. You won't make the killer mistake of trying to be everything to everyone. You won't have to compete with everyone else because you'll own a special desirable place in the minds of your best potential buyers.

Related Articles
  Guaranteed Sales Success in 2010
  Link Building Methods Types of Links
  How good is your guarantee?
  Writing and Publishing eBooks Made Easy #09 - Viral Marketing
  Sales Training For Service Businesses - Why Should I Use You? - Part 2 of 3

Article Tags: appointments, business owners, hopeful business, invest one, pocket expenses, sales strategies, sales strategy, spite, strong foundation, thin dime, time meetings, war chest, waste of time



Related Forum Posts
Book: Secrets of Six Figure Women - Secrets of Six Figure Women: Surprising Strategies to up your earning and change your life Barbara Stanny, 2002 Jacket: Maybe you've noticed - a subtle trend is gathering steam. Quietly and steadily, the number of women making six figures or more is increasing, and it continues to rise at a rate faster than for men. From entrepreneurs to corporate executives, from white collar executives to free lancers and part timers, women are forging careers with considerable financial success. Through extensive research and hundreds of interviews, including dialogs with more than 150 high earners whose annual incomes range from $100,000 to 7 million, Stanny discovered that ...they all had certain traits in common: 1) a profit motive 2) Audacity 3) REslience 4) Encouragement 5) Self-awareness 6) Non-attachment 7) Financial knowhow She amplifies on these in the book itself. Table of Contents Intro: Welcome to the era of the six-figure woman 1. The Queen in the Countinghouse 2. The Lowdown on low earners 3. Raising the bar 4. Strategy 1: The Declaration of Intention 5. Strategy 2: Letting go of the ledge 6. Strategy 3: Get in the Game 7. Strategy 4: Speak Up 8. Strategy 5: The Stretch 9. Strategy 6: Seek Support 10. Strategy 7: Obey the rules of money 11. Claiming our power Appendces: Resources and websites Tips for getting out of dent Investing Basics: Wealthbuilding 101
Online Sales and Marketing vs Traditional - Hi Evan, I am noticing that many of the posts in the Sales/Marketing section deal with online marketing, SEM and and SEO and Affiliates. I was wondering if it might be a good idea to separate that section into two; 1) Online Sales and Marketing; 2) Traditional Sales and Marketing
Re: Online Sales and Marketing vs Traditional - [quote="ltrahan":31w9r2iz]Hi Evan, I am noticing that many of the posts in the Sales/Marketing section deal with online marketing, SEM and and SEO and Affiliates. I was wondering if it might be a good idea to separate that section into two; 1) Online Sales and Marketing; 2) Traditional Sales and Marketing[/quote:31w9r2iz] I second the request...
Show the Benefits - Offer a free test drive of the Product or Service with a Money Back Guarantee - Take the Risk out. This will help them make the decision but you have to work with them to realize it by explicitly state the benefits they are receiving.
Re: What can you do if your franchise is hit by a scandal? - GT - Brilliant Strategy... What can I add? I'm at a loss for words...so I'll shut up now...


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

3 Key Factors For Raising Capital

Time management for DIY PR

Severance and Separation Agreements

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.