Recently I had a conversation with a new client who made the comment that I hear too often in my line of work, “Aaron, I told my sales rep what I would say and how I would handle the situation but the deal fell through anyway.” After I explained the definition of non-transferable skills, I informed him this common problem happens for a few key reasons. First as a business owner there is a different mentality and level of passion that comes with growing something of your own. Second, everyone is unique, using the same techniques and messages as the business owner won’t translate the same through everyone. Salespeople have to be authentic to their prospects to be successful; if they don’t come off genuine the prospect will pick that up. Finally, the business owner could be a wing-it star. This term describes a salesperson that is good at what they do but don’t have a strategy or process that they consistently follow. This type of salesperson will give multiple ways of handling the same sales situation which leads to confusion for the sales reps asking for assistance.

Identifying why business owners don’t see the same results from their salespeople is only half the battle, but once this is done there are a few key things the business owner can do to keep this from happening.

1. Hire what you can’t manage- The best sale most reps make is getting their job. You can teach someone a skill, process or help develop a strength but you can’t teach someone to have desire, commitment or responsibility. All too often people are hired based upon their past successes which don’t always translate to a new position or industry. Instead hire those who have a high level of desire, commitment and responsibility and you will notice they will be easier to train and manage.

2. Understand your people’s personalities-Everyone is different and may have their own unique talents. You can’t change people, therefore understand your people’s unique talents and personalities and adapt the way you communicate with them.

3. Help your people develop a business owner mentality-Help your people with their big picture thinking and bottom line mentality. This will help them be seen more as an advisor to a prospect instead of a typical vendor.

4. Develop a sales process- By developing a process (not a script) you allow your people to make it their own system. When they make it their own system they can execute your steps in a sales process their own way.

Business owners who are not seeing the results they expect out of their salespeople in turn become stuck working “in” the business. To break this ugly cycle and to break through their current sales ceiling business owners need to understand their sales skills might be non-transferable. By hiring what you can’t manage, understanding your sales team’s individual personalities, developing a business owners mentality in your team and having a sales process you will be able to work “on” the business and help bust through your current ceiling of success.

Aaron Prickel
Lushin & Associates, Inc.
317-218-1913
aaron@lushin.com

Neither segment was large enough to stand alone, so I spent my time split between both. When someone asked me what I did, I was never quite sure how to respond and often said too much. Networking associates overloaded with T.M.I. (Too Much Information) rarely had a good referral for me. How could they? If I didn’t know what I did or who I wanted to meet, it was unrealistic to expect others to be able to help me. A drastic change was required!

Narrow Your Focus and Create a Plan

And so I made a decision to narrow my focus, targeting small business owners exclusively. This was the segment which had been most productive and I believed if I created an action plan to support the change I would see improved results. I began by evaluating every element of my marketing plan, eliminating elements which no longer fit the overall direction of the business.

My Goal was to become well known and respected in a smaller circle. I wanted to be the go-to person for small business marketing in Indianapolis.

*  I gave up chasing “corporate gigs” and I concentrated on small businesses.

1. I pulled 650 prospects from my database which did not fit my core target. I turned the contacts over to a competitor. (There was no changing direction after that!)
2. I discontinued my corporate eNews and gave up memberships in organizations which were not relevant for my core small business customer.

*   Next I redirected my time and resources to attract the attention of small business owners.

1. Networking venues and groups were selected because they would allow me to spend more time with small business owners.
2. To be seen as a thought leader, I knew I needed to be more then just a member. Since I was being more selective in the events I was attending it was easier to commit to taking on a leadership roles in organizations which served this market.
3. I became a preferred resource for the SBDC and the SBA, offering free or low cost workshops on topics which were relevant to small business owners.
4. I reviewed the articles I had written, and began submitting them to on-line and off line publications with a readership which was comprised primarily of small business owners. I focused on local business publications first.
5. And finally, I revised all our marketing material to support this new focus. We added information and phrases which are relevant to my core customer.

The Result

In two years I have moved from being self-employed to running a business with a team of four employees and two interns. Roundpeg is known for our small business expertise. Many of our current clients and referral sources have no idea we ever worked with larger firms, and they never need to know. Tightening our focus has allowed us to concentrate and grow!

Lorraine Ball is focused on Small Business. As founder of Roundpeg, Indy’s leading small business marketing firm, Lorraine helps small firms become big firms!