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