PERSONAL SELLING IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Accelerate your business with these expert tips on "Personal selling in entrepreneurship". Analyse and discover this TIP!

The question is; how do I start selling? Answering this question is not easy and will depend on the sector of activity you are in, the product or service you offer and the customers you are targeting. So this tip will give you an overview of the tools you have and how you should use them, we will talk about personal selling.

PERSONAL SELLING IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Personal selling is one of the most important yet oldest functions in business. However, approaches to selling have not always been the same. The traditional image of the salesperson is that of a person whose sole mission is to sell independently of the customer's real needs and without concern for their satisfaction. This was a transactional approach that went hand in hand with so-called pressure selling techniques. 

It was in the mid-1960s when, influenced by new marketing concepts, the sales function incorporated a new orientation known as the "needs approach" or "customer focus". The salesperson incorporates into his functions that of getting to know his customers and identifying their needs in order to adapt his offer to them. Over time, companies are becoming increasingly aware of the importance not only of knowing their customers and their needs, but also of establishing long-term relationships with them. This is referred to as customer loyalty and relationship marketing.

"Personal selling is a process of interpersonal communication during which the salesperson discovers and satisfies the customer's needs, a process that is based on long-term sustainable mutual benefit.

You may have unknowingly started personal selling the moment you validated your minimum viable product. Congratulations, this is the right way to create your successful business!!!

THE ENTREPRENEUR AND PERSONAL SELLING

Selling is an activity that is inherent to human beings. But in the case of entrepreneurs, knowing how to sell is fundamental. Financiers, suppliers, clients, partners, investors are some of the interlocutors to whom the entrepreneur needs to sell. They are different people, with different objectives and circumstances, and it is therefore necessary to adapt the arguments to what each of these agents wants to hear.

When it comes to the marketing of products and services, we must not forget the importance of the salesperson in the initial stages of the business. Even if we are talking about technology-based products and services where online sales systems can play a fundamental role. Sometimes it is the entrepreneur himself who assumes the commercial functions, but in the long run it is necessary to create a commercial structure that responds to the different sales methodologies available. In this structure, we must incorporate people who are well trained in the mastery of technologies but also with the skills to establish solid, long-term personal relationships with customers. 

For a start-up business, having people with in-depth knowledge of the sector and of the potential customers to whom the offer is addressed means gaining time of particular value as it allows commercial activity to be generated from the outset.

THE SALES PROCESS IS MADE UP OF A SUCCESSION OF STAGES:

• PROSPECTING (+)

• APPROACH AND CONTACT

• PRESENTATION AND DEMONSTRATION (+)

• HANDLING OF OBJECTIONS

• CLOSING OF THE SALE (+)

This is actually a pedagogical way of explaining selling that you should practice as if you were an athlete, until you get into the habit of selling. Remember that for a habit to become established, you must repeat the sale 21 days in a row. Imagine that you do a brilliant job of prospecting and approaching a customer, you meet your contact, you deal with him, you convince him and just when he is about to sign the order he is promoted and/or changes department. You have to wait for a replacement and... it's back to the beginning! This is just one example of what happens in real life and makes the sale non-linear. 

The concerns of marketers, or those in that role, such as early-stage entrepreneurs, are very specific:

• How can I get an appointment with someone who, without knowing us, says that he has no need for our product and that the economic situation of the company is not the best.
• How do I differentiate myself from my competitors who offer very similar products?
• How do I defend my margins in the face of widespread price pressures?

Just as there is no one tennis match like another, there is an equivalent maxim in sales: There is no one customer like another and no one sales episode like another. Tennis players train by repeating over and over again a whole range of strokes, volleys, drop shots, backhands, drives, smatch, etc. This is the only way that during the match the player decides almost by instinct and at every moment which stroke or which combination of strokes can lead to success. In the same way, the salesperson must train with the same intensity in the handling of those sales techniques that are most useful in each situation.

In general, every enterprise needs sales. Success in sales represents the success of the project, but what seems so simple, at the moment of truth, is not assumed in its full dimension. Many organisations lack an adequate sales culture and do not give the sales function the importance it really has. You as an entrepreneur are at the point of acquiring that culture and you have certainly already travelled a path with your elevator pitch (+), which is nothing more than a sales presentation in a reduced format. An excellent exercise in synthesis, communication and persuasion. In other words, sales in its purest form!

But the time comes to sell your product or service, and to do so in a systematic, organised way and according to predefined objectives. The entrepreneur is responsible for making the sales (when the company is already up and running, perhaps he/she can hire salespeople and delegate this function), but remember that you can only delegate what you already know how to do!!! The entrepreneur is responsible for personal selling, so this tip can be of great help for you to learn how to sell effectively. Personal selling is one of the most important commercial formulas, in fact it was the only one until marketing and especially digital marketing began to offer other complementary options but never substitutes for the 100% of personal selling.

Personal selling in the digital age:

The defining impact of digital marketing has called into question the relevance of personal selling. The truth is that in increasingly complex environments, personal selling contributes to maintaining the competitiveness of organisations insofar as the modern salesperson is an essential guide for customers when making decisions. In addition, the seller has a essential role as an implementing arm of the company's marketing plans and in each of its policies: product, price, communication and distribution.

The questions arise fluently. What is the role of personal selling in the times we live in? Is it necessary to maintain traditional commercial structures when we have communication and management tools as effective as those provided by digital marketing? As is almost always the case, there are no single answers.

THERE ARE SEVERAL FACTORS TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION:

Can an insurance company dispense with its own sales force and rely on its digitalised systems to attract new customers, whether individuals or companies? New technologies are of enormous help when it comes to prospecting markets or transmitting information about our offer to the potential customer. We would say that they greatly simplify the salesperson's work in the first stages of the sale. But it is still The participation of a salesperson who is able to make a favourable decision by looking the customer in the eye is essential. The same could be said of companies that sell beauty products to hairdressers, perfumeries, industrial machinery or computer systems.

Another question to ask is: What is the technological moment that customers are experiencing? Technologies are advancing at an incredible rate, but not everyone takes them on board at the same pace. Sometimes, entire sectors have very conservative behaviour in their purchasing processes and it is up to the selling company to act in accordance with these circumstances. 

Achieving effective communication with the buyer in the digital age is not easy: we face an environment where there is a great fragmentation of media and therefore of audiences, and where social networks are becoming increasingly relevant in the image that consumers have of brands. However, despite this evolution, consumers are still people with needs and desires; hence, understanding their behaviour is key to communicating with them in an appropriate way. In this sense, we have detected some keys to improve the brand-consumer bond.

Get to know the digital lifestyles of your customers and prospects

In order to be able to adapt our communication, we must acquire new customers and keep the current ones. To do this, it is necessary to define ranges and characteristics of both groups. For example, in the case of the launch of a new beer - knowing our customers well - we can consider a media plan. online with activities such as the following: discounts on social media, videos in YouTube (+), banners on news websites and sponsorship of chat rooms. While the plan offline will consider elements such as bar activations, university promotions and concert sponsorship.

Define the right social media strategy

The brand's digital strategy will depend on how the category behaves on the Internet in terms of audience and influence. Although it may seem obvious, it is key to keep these elements in mind: who writes to us and who reads us, what topics they talk about and where our customers and prospects want to interact.

Take advantage of the opportunities that mobility offers us!

The smartphone and digital tablets are just another part of us, where getting into and staying in the consumer's mobile universe is an opportunity for brands. For more information you can read this TIP .

Successful mobile strategies for brands must meet at least one of the following consumer needs:

• Experience. Through experience, consumers want to interact with everything around them. The smartphone can offer enriching and interactive experiences with brands. Brands that meet this need will build loyalty and stay in the market. top of mind of the consumer.
• Transparency. Consumers do not want to take risks when making their purchasing decision. Therefore, direct access to sources they trust can be offered through their mobile devices. Brands that are aware of this need will ensure that they appear in these sources of truthful and reliable information.
• Relevance. Consumers value offers more when they are available at the right time and place. Geolocation has now become a key service with great potential. Brands that take advantage of the contextual information provided by thesmartphone will be more successful in their commercial actions.

We are at a time in history where information technologies have opened up new paths for almost all branches of a company's business. I have come a long way in the commercial area and it is certain that what every company needs is a model of attraction focused on the digital world, which is obtained with an adequate online sales strategy. Selling online is not easy, users are increasingly demanding, they are aware of everything that happens and the slightest mistake can be very expensive. We are clearly facing a digital revolution.

Combination of tools:

Selling software, selling steel parts or selling other types of material is not as simple as selling cakes or clothes. What a company needs is skilled salespeople who, taking advantage of digital tools such as social media, websites, landing pages, eBooks and webinars, can enrich their personal selling techniques and grow the business.

This is a road that must be travelled as a team. The commercial director must be involved in marketing efforts., to have the support of an agency and to integrate its sales team. One thing that is particularly striking about this digital revolution is that personal sales teams no longer have to harass and pester their prospective customers. This new philosophy, known as "Inbound Marketing", is based on the fact that it is the consumers who are looking for products or services and not the company that is chasing the customers.

No longer selling directly but giving consumers the opportunity to buy something, this new online marketing deals with people, not just sales targets. Of all the types of marketing I have seen throughout my journey in the commercial world, the inbound marketing model is the one that allows companies to to make a profit of its internet sales strategies, generating 54% more than leads than traditional outbound marketing.

How to act in the digital revolution?

To maintain leadership in this digital revolution, it is important to incorporate the following steps:

• Attract the customer's attention. Generate visits to your website or social networks.
• Awaken the desire to acquire what is being offered. Have content that offers something attractive and useful to your potential customers so that they constantly visit your website and social networks.
• Leading the customer to action and closing the sale. Give them a little more than they expect, treat them in a personalised way and keep your sales team aligned.
• Create and retain customer interest. Tell your customer! If they have already bought from you once, the trick is to keep them coming back by becoming an ambassador who can attract new customers with their recommendations.

By putting these steps into practice you will achieve:

• Increase qualified traffic to your website.
• Increase the conversion rate of visits to leads (potential customers).
• A higher conversion rate of leads into new customers.
• Improve your brand's reputation and online presence.
• Close more sales.

This is a good time to re-evaluate your online marketing strategy. Those who have already implemented it guarantee that Inbound Marketing generates 100% more conversions than Outbound Marketing.

• Independence. Consumers want to make their own decisions and do the activities they want to do how and when they want to do them. Mobile devices facilitate this need for independence and the need to be untethered. Brands that make it easy for consumers to choose the time and place of their interactions will be more successful.
• Comfort. Time used to be invested in saving money; now is invested in saving time. Mobile technology is making consumers' lives easier in multiple ways. It is key for brands to save their consumers time and effort in order to maintain their position.

By following these recommendations we are getting closer to achieving true customer experience management, where the digital era undoubtedly already occupies a preponderant place and offers magnificent opportunities if we know how to take advantage of them to direct our efforts towards success.