In our last sales class Evan Lowe, a very distinguished business man and entrepreneur, talked a lot about what it is like starting a customer base for a new company. The first thing he pointed out as important to this process is that you as the salesmen must know the market. Things you could ask yourself include: are there many other companies out there that are selling the same product? , if so how can you differentiate the way you are selling this product? , how much in demand is the product or service you are selling? , might you need to move to a new area to where the pain for your product or service is larger? , etc.
Another thing that Mr. Lowe pointed out as important to starting a good customer base was that you must know what pain your product or service is solving, and then find out who exactly has this pain. When trying to find those who have the pain you are trying to solve you must do a lot of listening to find out if what these potential prospects need is what you have to offer. Furthermore, at some points you may have to tell a prospect that your company is not the best fit for them. Doing this can be hard, but it makes your company look honest and quite considerate.
The last thing that was mentioned as an important part of starting a customer base was simply networking. Mr. Lowe kept saying that once you build relationships people want you to succeed and often times will help you do that by pointing out others who may be interested in your product or service. Therefore, it is very important to be building those relationships with others in order to begin to build a good customer base. Often times the bottom line is that it all begins with one person and then branches off from there.
BoweryJE22
I thought Evan Lowe was one of the best speakers we had for this class so far. He really broke down what it is to be in sales! Great reflection
I think it is so interesting that we have learned so much about how finding the best fit is really important in sales, and that it is okay to admit someone may not be a good fit. It never seems that any salesperson thinks I might not be a good fit for their product when walking in the mall and they’re trying to sell hair straighteners… However, I totally understand how it makes your company look honest and considerate to actual prospects when you are able to do that!