Sell, sell, sell is now the name of the game and if you are not willing to accept this fact, you will experience hell, hell and hell in the market. Most companies have cut as much as they can and find themselves in a place where they can’t cut any further. Wall Street has recently rewarded companies for cutting costs, but the next round of rewards will only go to those that can boost sales revenue and ring the cash register. And by the way, sooner or later it will have to do it without the help of the government-sponsored stimulus. Therein lies the problem because not even ‘this’ government can continue to offer endless programs for all industries.
The companies that will prove most valuable are those that can actually sell their products and services without the help of short-term programs, government stimulus, and gimmicks that are not sustainable. Anyone who creates products that are wanted and needed, and more importantly, has a trained sales force and management team that is focused on how to sell their products effectively, will survive and become a Wall Street darling. .
Stimulus programs like the recent Cash for Clunkers may have created a short-term boost in sales, but it leaves players with a false sense of recovery. The consumer took advantage of the program, manufacturers burst inventories, dealers had a great couple of months, but where do we go from here? Manufacturers cannot project expected production and dealers will not know what inventories to commit to when these programs end. That brings us to the real problem: companies don’t know how to create an opportunity without encouragement.
Contrary to all the bad news, people are still buying goods and services. The question today is where are the buyers? How do you get your product and service in front of them and then close them? People are now more selective and that is why it is essential that companies train their people on how to activate and generate a sale, not just wait for one.
If someone had a lease that was coming up, they would have to buy a new car, recession or no recession. If they need a new roof on their house, they will replace or repair it regardless of the economy. The question today is how to find those people who can and want and need a purchase without the help of some unsustainable program. The days of companies getting abundant opportunities and sales forces squandering them are over, or business is over for a while.
Which business would you rather be, (a) last month was amazing and none of our transactions were stimulus money/programs, or (b) last month was great and most of it was stimulus money. Oh by the way, in answer (b) the company is still waiting for their money from the government.
Businesses today need to start with their people learning how to generate leads, not just waiting until they show up for the ‘big sale.’ Selling today literally starts with creating the opportunity in the first place. This requires creative thinking about how to identify who needs your products or services, who is qualified to buy, and how to get your product or service in front of them. You must: (1) break your dependency on stimulus programs, (2) think outside the box and (3) be willing to do what your competition won’t, and (4) learn a lost skill set.
If you find this article below you, somehow I assure you that you will experience hell in the market for some time. The biggest need for businesses today is to generate an opportunity and ring the record by making ‘the sale’. For the 26 million people who are unemployed, the easiest place to get a job today is the same place where businesses need help the most: SALES.
Regardless of the product or service your company represents, real sales skills are the name of the game today. It’s no longer about gimmicks, incentives, or government programs, and it’s not about cutting costs. Make the sale the number one priority of the CEO, the management team and all the people who work in the company. Whether you’re in mortgages, real estate, cars, furniture, technology, financial planning, banking, accounting, law, advertising, consumer retail, health care, grocery shopping, or whatever whatever it is, know that, first and foremost, your company depends on sales to survive. than any other skill. Even if you make the best product in the world, you will have to activate someone to be interested in it and then sell that product to survive in the market.