Rocket Fuel - Know your market and your subject
The first step along on the trail of getting comfortable with sales and really getting into it (whether you're a business owner, or whether you're somebody who is starting your sales career in a business and you're working for somebody) is about knowing your market and your subject.
Hi everybody, Julie here, The Sales Ace, bringing you a sales tip for all of you out there who are new into sales, or who are maybe just a little bit scared of it, maybe a little bit daunted by it.
So, the first step along on the trail of getting comfortable with sales and really getting into it (whether you're a business owner, or whether you're somebody who is starting your sales career in a business and you're working for somebody) is about knowing your market and your subject.
What I mean by this is really getting to know your industry. Now, if you are running your own business, then you’ll have got a bit of an insight into your own industry because that's what you want to do. But what I mean by really getting to grips with your industry, is understanding what is happening out there in the world of your chosen sector.
Let's take, for example, web designers. What are the common denominators that companies have, and problems and issues around websites?
It's about really fully understanding all the platforms that websites are built on; what's good? What's bad? What are your competitors up to? What traditionally are the needs of your target market?
As a web designer, you may be working particularly with smaller startup businesses, so it's about fully understanding what their needs will be; it’s immersing yourself in what your competitors are doing; it's immersing yourself in other challenges of the industry.
One of the clients that I work with is a driving recruitment business, and the challenge that they've been having is a shortage of class one HGV drivers - that's a national thing and that's been happening for quite some time. So, by knowing that, they can work with their customers and help resolve problems in that way.
So it's really immersing yourself in the subject of your business, as I do with the sales training side of my business.
- I know who my competitors are
- I know the sort of way that they train
- I'm very aware of what needs, wants, issues and problems are within the industry that I'm working in
- I do a lot of work with recruitment businesses, and I'm really aware of that industry because I spent so many years working in recruitment
- I've done a lot of work within manufacturing and engineering businesses, and because of that, I've really picked out some nuances of what specifically their needs are and why
So, within my sector when I sit down to talk to clients I've got a real breadth of knowledge, and that really helps with the sales process, because for number one, it builds trust. It builds trust between you and your customers. They feel they're in safe hands: you know what you're talking about, you give them confidence and they start to buy into you. And the other thing from the point of view of being a new person to sales, you will have confidence because you'll know your subject.
So that is my tip for this week. It’s for you newbies out there: really get to know your subject. Really immerse yourself in it all, and don't forget things like publications and industries publications; these are a treasure trove of information!
Now, once a month we are going to be doing a dedicated sales tip for all of you that are new to sales. If there's anything, in particular, you would like me to address within this then please let me know.
My email address is Julie@thesalesace.co.uk
I'll see you next week!
