“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Mark 2: 17
When I first began my career in sales, I thought that everyone was a prospect for whatever it was that I was selling. I did not understand the first most basic law of selling to “find a need and meet it”. I wasted a lot of time trying to sell something to someone that I had not properly qualified.
Let me restate the above Scripture in sales terms… “Those who do not have the problems my product or service solves, have no need for my solution. Only those who truly have a need. I am not sent to make calls on people who do not need my help, but to those who are missing the mark and falling short of the goal. To them I am sent to change their way of thinking so they can receive help.”
What problem was your product or service created to solve?
What group of people most often have that problem? Where do you most often find those people? You see, so many sales folks travel far and wide to make a proselyte in the ways of their product or service. But they will do so much better if they first determine the profile and herding tendencies of their customer type. And then, point them in the right direction.
Yesterday, I spoke with an old friend with a new business. When we met in 1987, I was the new sales manager and he was a rookie salesman with no sales in his first 90 days. The one asset he had that most stuck out to me, was his incredible integrity. I could teach him the process, but he already owned the requisite qualities needed for success. He bloomed and succeeded beyond anyone’s expectations, finishing in the top tier, 21 out of 25 of the years that followed.
Now he has a very successful pet services company.
He was telling me about it over the phone and how he has clearly defined his target market. He serves them with excellence and they love him. Not every pet owner is a prospect, and he has refined his customer profile so that he is able to maximize his efforts. If you’re in the Nashville area with a pet and you need a little help from time to time, check out his site here.
Do you know the difference between advertising and marketing? Advertising is making your business known to whosoever will. Marketing has marked out their target and only sends their message to them. Are you selling to those who are well or are you marketing to those who most likely have the problem, your product or service addresses best?
Until next time, be fruitful and multiply!
I love the focus of helping people. That’s what I want to do! I don’t want to “sell” everyone I know. I want to help those who are looking for what I have. Thank you for the reminder. It’s easy to spend a lot of time being “busy” with fruitless activity.
That’s an excellent paraphrase to bring the point home, Michael! Thank you! I’m going to print that up.
Michael, Thanks again for another great article. I really like the focus on helping those that are falling short of their goal.
In today’s business marketing opportunities, social media, websites, etc., does a business card still have a place? I feel that is something tangible that you can leave with a prospect and certainly provides your contact information in a easy to reach format.
Is there any advice for someone looking to reformat the way someone would view your business “at first glance”? I feel that first impressions, yourself and business are very important.
Thanks