Sometimes the Best Strategy is Just to Show Up!

I have heard that 90 percent of making the sale is being there.

My wife and I lived in Canada on two separate occasions, and we got to know an insurance salesman named Ken. When I first met Ken, it seemed he did three things. He played tennis, he played racquetball and he traveled. I later learned that Ken's trips were sales incentives that he had earned. I came to realize that while it may have appeared that Ken was just playing, in reality, he was "being there," making the sale.

To a "nose to the grindstone guy," there was something sinful about the way Ken seemed to be making a very good living. I came to realize that Ken was always there and was always around people who needed what he sold! My wife and I were new to the area, we played racquetball and we needed insurance. Ken was our agent, too!

I don't want to make this seem easier than it really was. Ken had been in the insurance business for many years, had built up a large customer base and had worked hard to position his organization to take advantage of these "being there" opportunities. He provided excellent customer service, and as a result, he received many referrals. He had an excellent office staff; they always knew where he was, and could get in contact with him quickly when necessary. His office was in a good location, had plenty of parking, and was easily accessible.

Your marketing effort has to put you in Ken's position. Your marketing has to position your organization to be there when the customer has a need for what you provide. This means that your marketing message has to be clear, has to be consistent and has to reach those in need of your product or service. Your marketing effort will then trigger the sale when you and your customer come into contact. Your excellent customer service will keep them coming back and will provide a steady stream of referral customers.

Knowing your customers, just like Ken did, will make you more effective in sales and marketing. Knowing your customer will lead to more effective advertising that reaches the customer by fitting into the way your customer receives information. Knowing your customers will make you more effective in finding new customers, because they will have similar characteristics to your existing customers. Effective marketing will position your organization to be there when the sale is made.

You will know when your efforts are being effective. Customers will be referring you, and you will make sales everywhere you go. You will need a vacation just to get away from all the business for a while!

For more information on this or other business topics contact your local SBDC. Find locations and other valuable information at www.missouribusiness.net.

Authored by: Steve Holt, director of the Northwest Missouri State University SBTDC in Chillicothe.
Date reviewed: 8/13/08

This story was featured in the August 2008 newsletter