So what exactly is the pulse of the business? Very simply, it is sales and sales in the pipeline. Without either, your business is very near death. Let’s ask a couple of important questions: How are your sales when compared to the past? How are your sales when compared to similar businesses? What is in the pipeline for next month or next quarter?
Most businesses feel a little ill when they’re really honest with the answers. Don’t worry, the clinic is open!
Sales activities must be constant. You can never ignore sales for any reason.
Last week one of my clients was quite distressed at the upcoming holiday social schedule. “I hate parties…I hate networking…I feel like a fool at the holiday socials giving away my business cards. I refuse to make cold calls; I hate them and will not force myself on others. I don’t like groups of people, isn’t there any other way we could make contacts?
My client is a fantastic accountant. His personality style favors working with the books and numbers. People are a necessary evil to him. I fact, about 50% of us feel that way. We don’t dislike people; we’d just rather work with procedures and systems rather than people. It’s why some people vacation in the mountains and others party in Las Vegas. Simple preference.
Which are you? Are you task oriented or people oriented? Are you more outgoing or more reserved?
Back to my client’s question; is there a way to market effectively without networking and social activities? Yes! We’ll cover that in future posts.
For you social people out there, have a great time at the holiday socials. But remember to have plenty of business cards and to follow-up with the new people you meet. We’ll have some suggestions for you too.
Until next time
Doc
