In a previous article, we highlighted the idea of the power of vision. Let’s repeat some key thoughts.
We have found that faith and a clear vision can make the difference in the present moment, even when we find ourselves in unenviable circumstances. This greatly reduces the stress that comes from taking actions that make us feel uncomfortable. For example, when we go to a job where we feel cramped … we may feel that we are not being rewarded enough, or that our superiors do not value our enthusiasm, professionalism or flexibility enough … that others take credit for our contribution to the company … that we are stuck in a place and life is passing us by, and so on.
According to Dr Alex Loyd, author of “The Healing Codes”, it is this kind of stress that is mentioned as having an impact on health, or that is thought to be linked to ninety percent or more of illnesses.
When we believe in a better and brighter future (or, better still, have a guarantee of it – take the example of agreeing to a better paid and more pleasant job), the joyful anticipation of better times almost outweighs the current dissatisfaction in the workplace. Or, more precisely, it greatly alleviates stress.
The key to the solution: proactive action
For most people, the hardest thing is to develop a belief in a better tomorrow, or to create a clear vision in their minds of a joyful and better future. Here we can help ourselves with the simplest but very effective approach. Let us do our best to help the vision become a reality: let us work proactively towards the vision in a planned, persistent and disciplined way, with a strong belief in a happy ending.
In other words, whatever the conditions, let’s give our best at work. In all likelihood, the company will not automatically offer us a better job (or salary) as long as we keep doing things the same way we have been doing them. First we have to give the company a reason and a good reason, and then we can expect better conditions.
With this kind of thinking and action, we will believe more strongly every day in a better future or a better job.
Why is it important to approach change in this way? Often the mind resists forming a new vision as long as it is based on existing circumstances. For example, when we tell ourselves that we will be hired by another company that will value our work more and show it (read: pay us better), and a voice inside us says: “Why should you be offered a better job when you’ve been doing the same job for years… and no one has been interested in you? You’ve even applied for other jobs, but no one has even called you for an interview!?”
So we need some actual, physical change in approach or action that the mind can link to progress.
Does this approach 100% guarantee us a better job or a higher salary? No. But it certainly gives us a much better chance than if we “hold back” in the workplace (because we operate on the principle: “What you pay me is what you get from me”) and wait for someone to spot the hidden potential in us and reward us for it.
In this article, we offer very concrete prescriptions on how to approach your work more effectively and become virtually indispensable.
We have chosen an entrepreneur or a job that involves marketing products or services. With a little imagination and intuition, you can easily adapt the tips to your job.
As well as helping you to have a stronger faith or build a strong vision for the future, ideas can also make a big difference to your business results.
And a note: the tips below will give you answers on how to go about things. But that’s only one side of the coin… and a less important one at that. The answer to the most important question: “Why should I do this?” – or the power, inspiration and motivation to change – must be found within you.
Without a clear decision, a strong will to change and persistence in the new approach, all advice is useless… or even serves as an excuse why “it can’t be done in my case”.
The key to success: you can’t sell refrigerators to the Eskimos … you can sell them something else
For a truly effective analysis of workplace performance, all factors need to be taken into account. We will find that we have an impact on some, less on others; or none at all. For example, an entrepreneur can decide on almost everything – the choice of products he wants to sell, sales channels, advertising and so on – while a marketer in a large company has to more or less conform to company policy.
But what can you do if you find that key factors are beyond your control? For example, on pricing, on promotional discounts and so on? Firstly, you can inform your superiors about ideas and improvements, or suggest solutions. (Tip: don’t discuss problems, as this puts new burdens on their shoulders. Only approach them after you have worked out the solution in detail and, if possible, tested effective, realistic and easily achievable approaches in practice.)
But the second point is even more important. Don’t look at factors beyond your control, but focus as much as possible on the areas you do have control over. The fact is that all salespeople in a company probably operate on a level playing field. And yet some are more successful than others, aren’t they? This fact confirms that you can deviate from the average… whatever the (impossible) conditions in which you operate.
Here are four factors that define sales success. They also cover those that are shaped by the market itself – and probably beyond your company’s control – but don’t dwell on them too much. As I said, don’t let the areas you have no control over stop you from giving your best effort where you can!
The aim is to gain a holistic view of marketing, or a bigger picture, which will help you to determine more clearly where to focus your energies to be most effective.
Four factors that determine sales success
The sales success of any product generally depends on the following:
- the salesperson’s internal attitude (trust in themselves, belief in the product and belief that the product will genuinely help the customer or meet their expectations),
- the demand for the product or the market potential,
- product presentation (highlighting features, advantages/benefits and implied benefits),
- the business environment.
“Where is the quality, the good price and the uniqueness of the product?” you ask yourself. It’s in the other criteria. Statistics and experience show that the product features themselves are not as important for sales as the seller’s view of the product on the one hand, and the market’s perception of the purchase on the other.
In other words, a product with some major decisive advantage (quality, price, uniqueness on the market, etc.) usually helps the seller to make a successful sale, but it does not have as strong an impact on the sale as the buyer’s willingness to buy or desire for the product on the one hand, and the seller’s view of him/herself, the buyer and the overall sales situation on the other.
There are many great products sitting in warehouses and many mediocre ones selling like hotcakes.
Let’s look at each of these factors in a little more detail.
1. The internal attitude of the salesperson
The correct psychological attitude of a salesperson is based on four pillars:
- Self-confidence: the seller must have the confidence to offer the product to virtually anyone, without fear of rejection;
- confidence in the product itself, or in its uniqueness, effectiveness, usefulness, or in some key advantage that makes it stand out from the competition in the eyes of customers, or offers something that no other product does. Ideally, the seller should have a very positive personal experience of using the product;
- Trust in the brand, in the companies associated with the product and in the way it is marketed: for example, a salesperson may believe that great products can only be sold in specialist stores, not through TV sales, networking (MLM marketing), etc. Or he or she may believe that the salesperson must have specific training, years of experience… These beliefs lower the potential for success;
- Belief in the benefit the customer will receive from buying the product: the seller may believe that he is helping the customer to solve a problem or fulfil a desire, but he may feel that he is taking (hard-earned) money out of his pocket.
The latter point is the most important when we do not want to feel that we are imposing something on people. When a salesperson truly believes that a product will solve a customer’s bigger problem or fulfil a deep desire, this kind of belief will be felt in the air.
The simplest and most effective selling is based on transferring enthusiasm from the seller to the interlocutor. However, enthusiasm is not expressed by wringing hands and raising one’s voice – this is usually the opposite sign and a red alert for the interlocutor – but by presenting the facts in a clear, decisive and sovereign manner.
The latter includes presenting the facts without inflating them or describing an ideal scenario. Often we hear a sales argument along the lines of “One lady was so helped by the product that …”, whereupon the salesperson tells an incredible story of an almost miraculous effect. (In most such cases, the salesperson does not have first-hand knowledge of the story; they may not even know if it happened at all.)
Not only do generalisations and exaggerations repel the interlocutor, but they also make the interlocutor doubt the rest of what is being said. It works much better to describe one’s own experience and, if possible, to demonstrate the effectiveness of the product by comparing before and after use.
When a salesperson is genuinely convinced of a product – or rather, when he expresses a strong belief; being convinced of something is a slightly lower level of commitment (and opinion is even lower) – he uses fewer(!) words and his voice is more calm. He presents the product through a “friendly determination” or a clear and precise list of features, advantages and implied benefits (the result after use), and, on the other hand, a kind of complacency towards buying the product.
How do we know that we have internalized this kind of belief? We ask ourselves a simple question: “Is this product the most I can offer my interlocutor at this moment? Is there nothing I can do for them that would be more beneficial? Does that help him more than, for example, even lending or giving him money?”
When you feel that buying your product is the greatest benefit that the interviewee can take away from meeting you, you have laid a solid foundation for a successful sale.
2. Product demand / product market potential
The product’s market potential rests on two pillars:
- current demand for the product,
- long-term sales potential.
A: Current demand for the product
“There is a power greater than all the armies of this world. It is an idea whose time has come,” said Victor Hugo. The same applies to products.
I remember a cake shop with a variety of confectionery products that offered not only healthy but also tasty confectionery. Until you tried them, you didn’t believe it was possible to make a delicious cake without flour, eggs, sugar and other classic ingredients that are not exactly health foods.
The patisserie even offered a guarantee: if you find any of these foods in their patisserie, they will supply you with free patisserie. The location was also quite convenient – almost in the centre of Ljubljana – and there was no competition.
But they had one big problem. The story took place at the turn of the millennium, more than 15 years ago. Back then, people were simply not ready for this kind of culinary approach. I know the story first-hand, as I was in regular contact with the owner when she was preparing for this venture. I asked her two questions:
- Are there enough people who will be attracted by this novelty – i.e. the confectionery offer itself, the set price, the location, etc., combined with the chosen promotion method – to come to the confectionery and buy the products?
- Once they have tasted the sweets, will they definitely come back? Or will they remember the event so well that they will even want to share it with others … and thus recommend the patisserie?
Of course, the owner, a new entrepreneur, answered emphatically in the affirmative to both questions. (This approach is also one of the main mistakes of “market research”, or the evaluation of new projects. We cannot correctly predict events purely through our own feelings and without actually observing the market situation.)
Lessons from selling burgers
If we want to avoid this experience, the solution is simple: adapt to existing market needs and wants.
Gary Halbert, one of the most successful sales copywriters of all time, challenged participants in a seminar to compete in an imaginary hamburger sale. Each person was able to tell one decisive advantage that they would choose in order to secure a great sale.
Participants talked about the quality of the meat, the uniqueness of the offer, the large portions, the low price and so on. Gary said, “No matter what you list, I will beat you; I don’t even need to hear what you have in mind. Because here’s what I’m going for: a starving crowd of people!”
Imagine tourists spending the whole day in a bus, taking in the sights without a break, starting from breakfast. At around 4 pm, the bus finally pulls up at its destination and a crowd of cousins emerges, eager to put something in their mouths. Anything; no matter the price, the quality of the meat, the size of the burger …
Of course, this example is somewhat specific, but it carries a clear message: the best recipe for success is to sell (an improved version of) something that is already in demand.
How do we put this into practice? We don’t necessarily have to set up our own stand in the middle of the city next to a competitor’s. We can choose a globally established product that is not yet on our market, but that people are ordering abroad en masse. Or: offer a product that sells very well in shops online. And so on.
In short, let’s offer something that people are already buying.
Of course, this approach, like all others, has its advantages and disadvantages. The biggest advantage is the possibility of a quick turnaround of funds and a lower investment of time and money. Since the product is already being sold successfully, the basic principles are known: how the target group reacts to the product, what price can be achieved, what are the effective sales channels, how and where to advertise the product… In short, there is less guesswork and the result is more predictable.
The downside is that we will be offering something that is already established, and for which there is probably plenty of competition on the market. Since we will have to be innovative in our sales – so as not to get lost in the crowd of other providers – we will probably have to try harder and make some compromises; probably also on price or earnings.
Another disadvantage may be the reduced potential for overall sales. The sales trend may have already turned downwards, so we do not know when the market will become saturated or demand for the product will dry up. We may have just filled our warehouses when the demand to buy starts to wane.
B: Long-term sales potential
When we think a product might catch on – even if the market is not yet in favour – we can offer something new that is not (yet) in demand.
Theoretically, this approach can give us a market monopoly, which we can establish if we succeed. The downside is that no one knows how much time and money it will take to reach the so-called critical mass, when the market is ready to accept the product en masse. (Tip: the key to success lies in investing energy in educating customers, while at the same time positioning ourselves strategically and presenting or approaching ourselves in the right way. More on product presentation in the next article, where the third and fourth factors will be described).
In fact, many times we don’t even know if the market will accept the product.
Often the story will end in disappointment: we will not be able to bring potential customers close enough to the product or convert their existing habits into a desire to buy. Either we run out of ideas for promotion and launch (read: we present the product and its benefits long and hard and the response is still lukewarm) or we run out of time or money.
This approach is therefore only recommended when another product is already systematically profitable or provides funds that are then invested in a new product. In principle, the same principles apply as for venture investments: the potential is high but uncertain. So let’s go into a project with money that, in the worst case scenario, we may miss completely.
Let’s not forget the basics and the real facts
If you do decide to launch a new or substantially changed product/service, or try to penetrate a new target group, let’s not turn a blind eye, but let ‘s learn about the circumstances, turn them to our advantage and accept that the process will be difficult and time-consuming, and that the outcome is not guaranteed. And that sometimes we will have to persevere for a long time… a very long time.
However logical this may sound, practice is often different. Entrepreneurs hope that when they are introduced to our product, a “light bulb” will go off: at that moment they will want a product or service that they did not even know existed and needed before. They approach business like an artist who is inspired to create a painting, puts it in a gallery and waits for a response (and a purchase).
In truth, this approach is often associated with an inability or lack of ability to adapt quickly to new situations. We do not listen to what the market wants, but stubbornly offer what we are used to. So we do not start from the wants and needs of the market, but from inertia or established habits and processes.
In principle, we will be much more successful if our offer is based on existing needs and wants in the market. Many successful business people even say that they don’t start selling a product until someone else has offered it and proved that the market is ready for it.
And let’s not forget the basics. Success often depends on the commitment of the seller or the company itself. The greater the demand for a product, the less active we can be in promotion and marketing. In the extreme case – when we are a monopolist – we may even have desperate salespeople, long delivery times (which we may well break), a completely incompetent complaints department and so on, and still sell well.
Of course, only until the first competition appears. Then many will leave virtually overnight. Not because of the competition – who may even offer higher prices – but because of us … because customers remember how we treated them when they needed us.
Now that the roles have been reversed, there is a reckoning.
P.S.: Before you fill your warehouses with a product for which you don’t know how the market will react, it is highly recommended to conduct at least a mini-market research. Go out on the street and find people who belong to your target group and present the product to them “live”. This is the holy grail of marketing, by the way: if you can sell a product to the person in front of you, everything else (internet sales, telephone sales, advertising, etc.) is just a derivative of that.
Monitor people’s reactions to individual points of the presentation and to different approaches. Use what people respond positively to later in the promotion and design of your marketing message. And most importantly, do not ask people if they would like to have the product, but seek from them a guarantee or a definite decision; for example, a down payment or an actual order. Many people confirm in surveys and in conversations that they would buy the product … as long as they don’t have to reach into their pockets.
This article is based on the books written by Boris Vene and Nikola Grubiša.