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MenuHow do we improve the credibility of our company?
Answers
You need leverage.
The objection "you might not be around in awhile" is semi-valid but not a deal-killer. Something else was missed.
"So are you saying you would NEVER, under any circumstances, work with a company less than a year old?"
I'd go back to prospects who have turned you down and ask for open, honest feedback. Tell them it doesn't matter now, since they said no anyway, meaning it's not going to hurt your ego and you really want to know the real reason.
In future presentations, don't bring up the age of your firm.
Have a proven industry spokesperson endorse you.
Develop a ton of content that shows you are in the field, are known by other people in it, and are at the forefront of whatever it is you do.
And make sure your SaaS really does solve a HUGE problem for your market.
Why does your marketplace--not YOU--say they need it?
Remember that your customers survived to this point without it. Why should they change? There are many other sales process factors that we cannot see from the outside here.
I've growth hacked my way to creating multiple well-branded businesses that have credibility before our first sale was even made. I call it "social proof" and I can help you achieve that so you can confidently approach large customers without looking like the small guy. I'll give you actionable items to execute that will put you into the position to sell, so no one thinks you're working in a garage.
If our call is not effective, I'll refund your money. I'm harder on myself than you'll be. I will also coach you via email as much as you need - I love helping entrepreneurs.
Two of my favorite Mark Cuban lines:
"You have to crawl before you ball" and "Sales cure all."
Go after smaller clients that are easier wins. Deliver an excellent product and service, and collect testimonials. When you approach the bigger clients, your real target, you'll have the proof larger clients want to see (a long and growing client list and other people's words). Put in a little extra work and show some patience and you'll get there.
Its all about how you show up. Yes you are "likeable" but are you credible? There are so many factors to consider, here are a few to get you thinking:
>Are you positioning your product to the right customer?
>If so, is your pricing to high or too low?
>How does your product vary from your competitors/do you offer a higher level of service or quality?
>What VALUE do you bring to the table?
I can go on and on! The Direct Sales Industry is highly competitive these days. I consult with a few that are doing well and just under 3 years of business. But they're doing it right! Most of the times it is minor tweaks that will catapult you forward. Sorry to be so broad but hopefully this gets you thinking in the right direction. Would love to help further but need more details. Best of luck!
Don't worry about it if you are 2 guys in a garage companies want solutions not someone in an over priced office.
What is unique about what you will do for your customers that the competitors wouldn't or better yet can"t?
Who can you team up with that would put you above your competition? Don't worry if they will take 1/2 your income they will produce, pay them, 1/2 of something is better than all of nothing.
Call and let's brain storm this and see what can get you off the ground to some profits, maybe it's me that could do the job, thanks....Ken Queen IncomeForBabyBoomers.com
Related Questions
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What do (bootstrapped) startups offer to new sales hires? Commission only? What are some good examples to keep people motivated and still survive?
Generally bootstrapped startups should avoid salespeople, for a few reasons: a. they typically can't afford the base and overall comp required to attract sales people who can actually sell / or afford to support them with marketing, management, etc b. it will be very difficult to find the rare person with the right mix of sales and startup DNA along with the critical domain knowledge, consequently the startup is likely to settle c. the founders need to be very involved in the selling and customers will demand it That said, if the plan is still to hire a salesperson, find someone who has demonstrated sales success in startups and is excited by the early stage in company building. Create a comp plan heavily leveraged on sales results (unless you are in an industry where 100% commission is a common practice, would recommend against $0 base as this creates the false impression that your hire isn't passing time with one company while looking for another job with a richer comp plan - you want your rep focussed). Sell the vision and opportunity to be part of a growth story. I have written a several blog posts on hiring sales people into start-ups. You might find these useful: http://www.peaksalesrecruiting.com/ceo-question-should-i-learn-to-sell-or-hire-a-sales-person/ http://www.peaksalesrecruiting.com/start-up-sales-and-hiring-advice-dont-stop-selling-once-you-hire-your-first-sales-rep/ http://www.peaksalesrecruiting.com/hiring-start-up-sales-reps/ http://www.peaksalesrecruiting.com/startups-and-salespeople/ Good luck!Eliot BurdettEB
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Startup Looking To Hire First Sales Employee - And completely lost. Any advice on compensation structure (benefits?), items that need to be in place?
Instead of repeating the wisdom of others, I'll link to it below. Here is a great blog post on hiring your first salesperson: http://tomtunguz.com/when-to-hire-a-salesperson Also, Mark Suster has written a ton of great post on his blog about startup sales. http://www.bothsidesofthetable.com/on-selling/Clay HebertCH
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Whats the best way to find commission sales reps?
This is not my specialty, however, I have been in your position many many times -- maybe this will help. If the product is in-tangible, then look for JV partners on the Internet. Try to find an expert that deals with these JV opportunities (like me). If the product is physical, then look for sales organizations that have networks of sales people across the country. You do the deal with the organization and the independent network of sales people sells your product. It's a sweet setup if you can negotiate a margin that works for everyone. Hope that helps - Cheers - NickNickolas PassigNP
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Best sales funnel to scale $47 fitness infoproduct?
Scaling with paid/cold traffic is a very different kind of beast. Depending on your paid traffic source their motivations and behavior is different than that of a house list or affiliate / JV traffic. Usually paid (cold) traffic is more difficult to convert with a $47 initial offer. I've had success warming up this type of traffic, with clients of mine, before asking for that level of sale. There are some exceptions to the rule depending on how rabid your market is to buy, but the fitness niche is usually more skeptical. You can warm them up by starting with an email opt in to a lead magnet then present them with your $47 sales offer, theres a side benefit to this as well. The other way to warm them up is to start with a survey leading them into a customized VSL to your $47 product. There's also some major benefits here if you segment your traffic right. As far as after the initial sale in regards to the backend funnel itself my typical flow looks like this: Sales page > Up Sell #1 > Down Sell #1 > Up Sell #2 > Thank you page. However some of my clients have much more than 2 up sells in place in some funnels. The trick is that your up sells should flow logically to each other. Meaning make your first up sell a product that gets your target market to their desired solution faster and easier with the up sell. For your down sell, you can keep the same product / offer but lower the price or offer a payment plan. Hope this helps, let me know if you have any questions.Bobby HewittBH
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What is the best way to sell to dentists?
Get specific with the "who" of your market (i.e. what kind of dentist? what is their specialty? whom do they serve? demographics and psychographics of both the dentist AND their patients?) And specific with your offer to them. What are you selling? What are they buying? And why do they want it (according to THEM... not you)? Get those factors right and they'll buy from you all day long.David BermanDB
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