Can I sell that?

Can I sell that product?
Companies looking to grow will often engage in new markets they can explore, new areas they can target, new ways to increase revenue from existing clients. This coupled with other such concepts as affiliate marketing and refferals can help boost sales towards a symbiotic business relationship,
This is of course a good technique; you can sell a minor service or a cheaper service just to make contact with a company so that when they need a primary service they come to you, of course, for convenience. It is a means to create relationships. This is not restricted to B2B companies. It is prevalent everywhere. Google gives you the basic version for individuals of all its services free. Gmail, Maps, Drive, Google Plus. But, the minute you want to put your organization on Google’s grid, place ads on Google or get Google emails for your company, you’re in for a surprise.

Now being in an IT & branding company, this phenomenon is not new to me. We have constantly been in search of innovative ways to come up with services that can complement our efforts, that can help make a mark on vendor lists of our prospects.
Now it is ideal for every company to brainstorm over this decision themselves. My objective from this article is to only put forth what I found important questions that should be answered. These have definitely helped us take decisions on adding/avoiding more services to our profile.

Does it relate to our services?
What if Microsoft started selling burgers? Would you buy? I wouldn’t. For fear of founding Intel Inside of course. All your services must correlate with each other or at least pertain to a related industry. Unrelated services will not only affect your business operations but may also affect perception of customers and likely prospects.

Is it feasible?
Can we provide this service? Are we going to manufacture it on our own or sell a 3rd party solution? Is support going to be outsourced? Is profitability possible [if at all it is a goal]? Will the sales team be able to take on the new service-related challenges?

Will this complement our existing services or will we end up with a service we are selling at no profit that is taking up more time and efforts than what deserves to be put for our primary product.

Once we have decided to go ahead or at least taken the initial leap of faith, we need to evaluate the market for alternatives of the new service, their prices, terms, sales, market. A lot can go wrong in these areas.

Last but certainly not the least, we must also analyse our main competitors, to find whether any of them are also marketing this service either primarily or as a complementary service.
Now go out and Sell!!

5 Tools Everyone in the Sales Industry should be using

If you are in this industry then you will know that no numbers of tools are sufficient. There is always scope for more. For that extra project, for incentive, for referrals. How to get there?

From my limited experience in sales for 2 years in 3 different companies [a stable company, a failing brand & a start-up]; I can suffice with 5 of my personal best.

1.        Relations /customers:

 There is always room for improvement in the service delivered to your existing customers; they are the relationships you have in the industry. They can generate credible word-of-mouth. You have already spent productive time & effort in delivering to them. If further efforts can generate a wholesome experience go for it. Ask them for a testimonial, take their feedback. Follow-up with them after the sale/project completion. Trust me it works, people prefer working with a company that’s always around when needed.

2.        Reward referrals:

If there exists a person/company or customer that is willing to refer you to others; make sure you reward their efforts. Some may ask for an incentive directly but all will expect it. Rewards may differ. A retail company can give some redeemable points, others can offer discounts on future purchases, and service companies can add bonus features to existing packages. But the key should be to inform them that each referral will reward them significantly and give them something others may not have access to.

3.        Reach:

I say targets are not to be emphasized. They are important of course. But focus more on reach. Widen your reach. Broaden the spectrum of services you provide. Pitch to more people. Adopt conventional and unconventional means. Have 24/7 mediums of communication apart from the traditional office hours. Adapt & adopt strategies based on your target market i.e. youth market can be reached better on social media channels while investors are accessible on newspapers & weeklies. Aim for Retweets & shares rather than Likes and Favourites

4.        Emails/calls:

The importance of face-to-face interaction is not to be undermined but it is not always practical, especially in the tech age we live in. Make sure you are not just available on email and phone but also try to reach your contacts every now and then. For gentle reminders and regular follow-ups.  A well-written email can at times seal the deal. Moreover it is always available for reference and more people can be involved. Make sure you don’t become the annoying mail/call that always ends up in spam/voice-mail. Keep it simple!

5.        The “oregano to your Pizza”

There is always that special ingredient. The spice nobody wants to disclose. Something, that sets you apart from others. It could be the niche market you develop, a unique service/product you have. Perhaps the way you present yourself, your service, your persona. If you don’t already have that yet, Go Ahead, build one!

 

That’s all for now! I’ll be glad to hear from you on what I may have missed or your comments on these above. 

Why have internet presence?

This is my first ever post as far as blogging goes. Brain storming over months on what I should start with. I came up with this.
Why have online presence?
Given my vocabulary and exposure, this is a topic too mature. I may as well be talking about the latest Pitbull song [Timber was hype by the way].But I thought to myself, why not start with something I do for a living; convincing people [SMEs] to be on the internet.

There often comes a business idea in your mind that you feel strongly to pursue yet slightly reluctant due to fear of loss. Online presence in my opinion bridges that gap. It allows you to have a pilot test [free trial, if you may] to test that conviction. And the vast mediums available to you only add to the sweet taste.
The platforms available to start-ups today were not present at the time of Apple & Microsoft. So why not use them? An astounding fact remains that 0$ were spent towards marketing of the primary messaging application Whatsapp [Note to self: don’t undermine marketing when you are a marketer].
I am not saying your company will be the next Facebook or Whatsapp; there is a fat chance there. But there still is. Why not try?
I met a couple of young bulky Karate enthusiasts in Abu Dhabi who had no idea of legal, finance and management issues in business. They just knew there was no company selling authentic fight gear and they could easily fill in. They didn’t lease an office, did not hire a team, they merely created a website that listed products to be purchased. Each order generated was automatically forwarded to their provider in China from where it was dispatched and delivered. As simple as that!
I am not in touch with them but they may have succeeded and grown; or may have realized it’s a lost cause; with perhaps a couple of hundred Dollars loss [Hashtag Lesson Learnt].

This isn’t to say you won’t face problems or this is a shortcut to success. But there is no denying it’s complementary, it’s popular and IT’S WORKING.

Start with the basics:

–          Get a domain for your business

–          Get to basic social media

–          Be present & available

PS an imaging and humour loving person that I am, I take full pride in ending with a make-no-sense image.

I’d be glad to assist those who have questions/queries; comment here if u do..