Sales has a seriously bad rep. Just saying the word “sales” will likely evoke instant images of men with slick hair and Bluetooth headsets glued to their mouths or “Boiler Room”-esque scenes of ruthless desperation. None of which will be remotely favorable.
The problem is, this public perception of sales is outdated, inaccurate, and, most of all, harmful to any business owner or entrepreneur who clings to it. By holding sales as this “dirty” thing that somehow sullies us if we touch it, we’re all missing out on potential opportunities for development and growth. And many of us don’t even realize it.
Sales isn’t what most business owners think it is. It’s not sleazy. It has nothing to do with pushing people to buy something they don’t need or manipulating or confusing them. It’s not relentless phone calls pitching to some poor soul or taking advantage of a lonely retiree who wants someone to talk to during the afternoon lull.
So what is it? Sales is a process. It’s doing the work to properly first position the industry and idea and then finding the best way to position your product. Most leaders do not realize that sales is as much about education on your industry and space as much as it is about your product. Your sales process is a vital and essential part of your business, whether you’re an app out to acquire new users or a B2B platform or an online magazine. Sales is the method by which you connect your brand with the people you started it for – the people that need it.
Another misconception is that sales only fits into a specific stage of a business’s life cycle (i.e. when the product has been finalized and is “perfect” and ready to go). In fact, a sales strategy can and should be operating in the mind of a founder from day one. It can be as simple as perfecting a pitch on the industry first to frame why what you do is important and then focusing on the ways that we solve.
What are the trends in the space? Why is your product important? What is its core value? Whom does it benefit/what problem does it solve? If you work on explaining that in 60 seconds or less, you’ve performed a key sales function, whether you realize it or not. And that function will heavily influence whether or not your business is successful.
Getting out there and selling yourself and your business won’t hurt your brand. Also, understand that you need to sell the space as well because most people won’t know what you are talking about without that context. Both of these will expose you to your potential customers, force you to hear their concerns, and occasionally make you uncomfortable, which, when you’re an entrepreneur, is all part of the game.
If you’re never squirmy, you’re playing it safe and doing it wrong. You might have to face rejection or fall flat on your face during the first few pitches. But if you embrace sales as a useful and necessary arm of your business, you’ll soon realize how invaluable it is in terms of growth.