Smart business leaders understand two principles summed up in these two sentiments.
“No plan survives first contact with the enemy” and “Feedback is the breakfast of champions”.
In business much is made of having a vision of where you want to go and most importantly, your big “why”. Why this is important to you. What drives you. The most effective visions are those that bring people with you. Something greater than yourself that others can buy into.
And then having a strategy which will implement the vision with a set of concrete goals and milestones. What you’re going to achieve and by when. What resources you’ll need (money, effort, people etc.) And a concrete plan for getting stuff done.
Countless dollars and man hours are spent in rooms debating this stuff. And while it’s an essential part of the success equation, on a major level it risks having no bearing on reality.
Your great vision and strategy might get completely undone with first contact with your potential clients.
Your clients are the ONLY arbiter of ongoing success. Which brings me to the second sentiment. “Feedback is the breakfast of champions.”
To test your strategy you have to sell your wares. And then deliver.
Starting with selling.
Is your prospecting methodology working? Can you target the right people in the right way? What’s your qualification methodology? Do your prospects resonate with your pitch? Can you articulate your value proposition clearly in terms they understand and value? Get this wrong and you’ll waste a lot of time dealing with people who’ll never buy.
Does your marketing collateral back up your sales process? Marketing must be designed to help prospects recognise your capabilities, experience and depth of knowledge and believe you may be able to help solve the problem they have.
Can your sales people close deals? Do they continually look at what’s working and what isn’t? What stops prospects from buying?
Moving onto delivery. Does it stack up? Is it really what your clients value? Are there things you could be doing which would add more value? How would you know? (Hint: Use our Value Gap Analysis methodology to find out)
Successful organisations have a Kaizen culture of continuous improvement which starts at the top.
As a leader your mindset must embrace the courage and confidence to keep asking for feedback as to how you can improve. And have this filter through every level of your organisation. Small improvements done consistently lead to big results.
And it all starts with getting out there.
Have a basic sales strategy in place. Who you’re going to target and why. Then make the calls. Meet the prospects and get some deals under your belt.
Keep testing, tweaking and refining. That’s the key to long term success.
If you’d like help developing your strategy and selling your wares, reach out and join the ranks of our clients who’ve achieved double and even triple digit growth.
Contact Rashid on 0414 913 334 to get started.
