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Talk about the problems. Sell the results. Teach the basics.

By Becky McCray

Teacher's Desk. Photo by Becky McCray.

Implementation. Execution. Basics.

A friend and I were talking about essential concepts. They are critical to your business, but they are not exciting. They are in fact boring. These boring ideas determine whether or not you’ll succeed in business or anything, really.

My friend said, “Here’s a quick list that comes to mind:

* execution
* decisiveness
* connective tissue (inclusiveness, in this case)
* practice
* basic over basic.”

“Weird,” he said. “It’s so easy for me to articulate it. So hard to sell.”

It’s hard to sell because this isn’t the part you sell. You talk about the problem, you sell the results. These basic essentials are the tools to get there.

It’s not like the liquor store where I just put the tools (bottles) on the shelf and it’s up to customers to figure out what results they want.

It’s more like when I used to help local governments with project consulting. I didn’t talk about implementation or basics like calling architects every week, filling in applications or coordinating meetings. I talked about being finished, getting things off high center, doing the things they wanted to do but just didn’t have enough people on staff to ever get around to.

The “basic over basic” idea my friend listed came from another friend who studies martial arts. That guy found he advances by learning one basic skill, then learning another basic skill over it or in combination with it. I pointed out that he didn’t pick the instructors who taught him those advanced skills based on a website that said “we teach you basic over basic.” He probably picked based on a good match with his current skills (and maybe problems) and where he wanted to move toward (results).

Talk about the problems. Sell the results. Teach the basics.

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About Becky McCray

Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.
  • Downtown is your town’s core: How to make your case - February 22, 2021
  • Zoom Towns: attracting and supporting remote workers in rural small towns - December 10, 2020
  • In an economic crisis, spend your brainpower before your dollars - November 25, 2020
  • Video: How to fill empty car dealership buildings for the holidays - November 6, 2020
  • How has 2020 changed the challenges rural small towns face? Tell us here - October 20, 2020
  • The Idea Friendly Method to surviving a business crisis - October 6, 2020
  • Join me for the Rural Renewal Symposium online Oct 13 - September 26, 2020
  • Cheap placemaking idea: instant murals - September 11, 2020
  • Refilling the rural business pipeline - July 7, 2020
  • Huge vacant buildings: grants to renovate? - June 9, 2020

February 2, 2015 Filed Under: entrepreneurship, marketing Tagged With: service businesses

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Comments

  1. Erno Hannink says

    February 2, 2015 at 10:04 am

    Wow, that is a good summary of a perfect sales process.

    • Becky McCray says

      February 2, 2015 at 12:34 pm

      Thanks, Erno. We’re so used to thinking about sales from our own perspective, we forget to take a look from the other end. That’s what this is meant to help us do.

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