Dear Readers,
The previous blog on Saree shop was really appreciated, thank you all for the support. Well, this post is about why start ups can't afford professional help for marketing and HR activities.
During my MBA classes, students used to wonder how exciting will it be to perform all these activities for a firm, i on the other hand used to get worried because i knew i had to do it all myself because i wouldn't have the luxury to afford someone to do performance appraisal or porter's 5 forces for my firm. The one and only logic behind this is i couldn't afford MBAs to work for me, and there ain't any B School who produce MBA for start ups.
I knew 1 area where i had to succeed was Sales, bcoz every entrepreneur has to be a good salesman (among the many other required skills), so you should take a hard look at these points:
The previous blog on Saree shop was really appreciated, thank you all for the support. Well, this post is about why start ups can't afford professional help for marketing and HR activities.
During my MBA classes, students used to wonder how exciting will it be to perform all these activities for a firm, i on the other hand used to get worried because i knew i had to do it all myself because i wouldn't have the luxury to afford someone to do performance appraisal or porter's 5 forces for my firm. The one and only logic behind this is i couldn't afford MBAs to work for me, and there ain't any B School who produce MBA for start ups.
I knew 1 area where i had to succeed was Sales, bcoz every entrepreneur has to be a good salesman (among the many other required skills), so you should take a hard look at these points:
- There is no genie: Aladin had the liberty to fulfill 3 wishes, but unfortunately, start ups don't, Don’t hope that a miracle will happen and your products and services will sell themselves. Be passionate about what you are selling, and decide to be of service, by providing your customers with something of value in exchange for deserved payment. Set aside fear and doubt, and stand tall with your message.
- Pitch your abilities. An irresistible pitch is a clear and concise explanation of what you do best, benefits to your customers, an honest statement of why you do what you do, a question that pulls the listener in, and words and language that engage the hearts and mind of your ideal customer.
- Market your message. Generate leads using social media, but don’t rely on it alone to make sales. Use the media to initiate contact, highlight your human element, and communicate your specialty or expertise in a way that anticipates what your customers might be thinking about. Facilitate a transition to a private environment for closing a sale.
- Engage graciously. Always treat customers with respect, honesty, and warmth to make the selling process more enjoyable, fun and delightful. The goal is to deepen the relationship, and discover if their needs match your offer. Listen closely for what they are saying and expressing. Don’t forget to follow-up. Skip the cold calling – it’s just too cold.
- USP to sell. Learn to sell in a way that matches your personality and your strengths. Check the definitions in this book or other sources to see if you are the humanitarian, visionary, maverick, romantic, nurturer, mentor, or one of a dozen others. Tune your approach and you will find yourself enjoying the selling process.
- Ask to win. As you go through the sales cycle with your customer, there comes a point when it’s natural for the transaction to conclude. Asking the customer for their decision demonstrates leadership on your part, shows you have confidence in your offering, and prompts them to make a final decision. You can’t win if you don’t ask.
A start up has to sell, but its not only about selling, we have to create solutions and sell it at a Win Win situation where the customer pays for the solution and we make money out of it. There may not be MBAs to do our daily functions, you gotta to do everything to succeed right from doing a Training Need Analysis to Create a TOMA for a long term business.
Cheers,
Akash Poddar
akashpoddar@live.com
