This article was originally published on 8/13/2012. The last paragraph has been updated. The rest is as it was.
My mother sent me a newspaper article written by Emily Hughey Quinn from Tribune Media Services. The title was “Buy the way…It’s OK to use sales techniques to advance your non-sales career.”
left. Then, last night my son, Mark told me that he gave my name to another
entrepreneur with the suggestion that he hire me as a sales coach. He added
that he couldn’t understand why I’ve been so resistant to taking on sales coaching
clients this year. I replied that it was really simple. Most entrepreneurs
don’t put a high enough priority on developing sales ability. I’m not talking
about just being able to sell to customers, although most need help there.
Coincidentally, I’ve spent the past few weeks
contemplating some of the non-sales coaching that I’d delivered to my clients
and trying to decide why it was important. So, here are a few examples.
- Negotiating with their employer (i.e. a raise, better hours, promotion, etc.)
- Hiring and managing subordinates
- Gaining the support of co-workers or other departments within the company
You might expect those kinds of examples, because they’re sales
related, but my clients have also needed help with:
- Getting financing or better terms from investors, VC’s, bankers
- Buying ‘right’ (options, service, price, terms)
- Raising teenagers and interacting with spouses
- Growing a network that works
Mark suggested that many business owners and startup entrepreneurs
needed a resource that they could use a few times a week to strategize and
rehearse from a sales perspective prior and to debrief and plan after important
meetings.
So, here’s the plan.
There are 12 weeks between Labor Day and Thanksgiving. If you are
an entrepreneur or a business owner and you agree with Mark, contact me. Tell me what you want to get done ‘sales-wise’
during those 12 weeks. We’ll see if we can make it happen.
BTW, if you are not a business owner or entrepreneur, but you are
trying to do something that’s important to you, contact me anyway.
RainMakers & Sales Rock Stars 