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You might have heard of the ABC’s of sales, “Always Be Closing.” However, it’s not always just about closing the deal, it is also getting your message, your product, your idea, out in the public eye. To win, you must differentiate your product or idea from all the others and create a niche market that makes you truly unique in the public mind.
I sell wind generators. These are not the giant machines that stand 300 feet in the air producing electricity for thousands of homes. My machines are very small by comparison and provide enough energy to power one home – reducing or eliminating your monthly electric bill. Sound exciting? It is. The challenge, however, is creating what we call the “Residential Power Appliance Market.” Currently, this market is almost non-existent. Most people don’t know it’s possible to use solar or small wind systems to power their home. Our second challenge is that we are a small company (less than 100 employees). Our sales and marketing budget is about the size of the office coffee budget for a major corporation. However, you’ll find us in just about every major publication over the last six months and Skystream orders are piling up. How did we do it?
“Always Be Selling” is finding a way to get your name in the public eye through every possible channel. Last week I was in Washington D.C. attending a conference on renewable energy. Tom Friedman, author of The World is Flat, was a presenter. After his speech I was the first in line to speak with him. I gave him a Skystream brochure and suggested how he might mention us in future talks. Later that day I met with a reporter from USA Today, as set up by our public relations firm Porter Novelli. I spent an hour talking about the benefits of small wind as a way to fight ever-increasing utility costs. That evening I met Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute, a leading energy think tank. The week went on and on in much the same way. This is how most my weeks play out. I also spent a great deal of time looking for the right people to promote a new tax incentive for renewable energy in 2007.
“Always Be Selling” could easily be a 400-page book. Here I’ll consolidate ABS down to a few points.
1) Know your competition and find a way to differentiate your business. A favorite story of mine is Procter & Gamble’s (P&G) marketing of Cheer laundry detergent back in the 50’s. The marketers for Cheer were looking for a way to differentiate Cheer from the highly successful Tide. They added blue sprinkles to the formula and marketed Cheer’s “Blue-Magic Whitener.” Sales shot through the roof. Cheer succeeded in creating a special niche in the not-all-that-exciting laundry soap industry. A great book about marketing is The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Riece and Jack Trout. It’s a must read.
2) Once you’ve defined your message and what makes you unique, get the message out. A good public relations firm is always helpful. But even if you can’t afford one, get out there and do it yourself. Don’t be bashful, get your product in front of all the leaders in your market. Get them to talk about it. Advertising works but news stories offer far more credibility. Draft press releases and send them to everyone you think might be interested. Keep the story fresh and make it newsworthy. Don’t stop at magazines and newspapers. Write to authors and speakers and send them images suggesting your concept could be used in their speeches. They like to keep things fresh too. So if they like what you have, they’ll likely use it.
3) Also, put your product to work. Invest a little in placing your products around the country or planet to demonstrate how they work. And be sure to let the press know you’re coming.
“Always Be Selling” means thinking of the big picture and getting the product out in the world and into the minds of the consumers. We are all bombarded with advertising and have largely become immune to the ads that plaster bathroom stalls or airline seat tables. Your product will be lost if you don’t find a way to make it different and exciting. Remember, have a brochure with you at all times and always be ready to deliver your message. Speak passionately about your product so the person you’re speaking to feels the excitement of the story. If P&G can make Cheer successful with blue sprinkles, you too can differentiate your product!
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Comments (6)
Andrew- solid, intereting, and intelligent advice for people serious about business. We deal with the ABS approach, and it's good for people to rember the fine line between being entrepreneurial and being pushy.
Glad to know that at leats one of the people dispensing advice on this site knows what he's talking about.
Posted by Stacy | December 6, 2006 11:02 AM
Posted on December 6, 2006 11:02
good to see the hate spilling over into adjacent article comment threads.
Seriously, what do you people do all day?
Posted by gemorris | December 9, 2006 3:45 PM
Posted on December 9, 2006 15:45
ABS works really well for new businesses trying to get out there. As the first poster points out, it's a fine line. Pushy on one end, and entrepreneurial on the other.
www.SimplifyThis.com
Posted by Sanjay Kumar | December 12, 2006 11:32 PM
Posted on December 12, 2006 23:32
I like the ABS principle, and hear what you're saying about the big picture. I get that, but how can I apply this to a network marketing home business?
Posted by Julie | December 14, 2006 10:16 AM
Posted on December 14, 2006 10:16
Julie Thanks for reading my blog. Selling becomes easier with practice. It is important to understand we live in a society where ads are in front of us everywhere. Most of us tune out advertising without even knowing it. The key is to not "sell" as much as convince the other person that they want what you are offering. Let me explain: First, of course you must be selling a product that is of interest to people. When approaching a person you know and you have several products, think of one that might be of interest to them. Example: You are selling a room air filter. They give you some gesture such as a cough or sneeze that allows you to open up a conversation simply talking about that cough. You cary on a conversation about the air or the time of year and virsus are in the air. They agree with you. Then you turn the converstion to "I know what you mean" I had this problem for years until I found this device. You talk about it but DON'T try to "sell" it. They will pick that up in a second. Talk about it only on the "edge" not the details. Let them ask questions. It is important to be as knowledgable about the "environment" around the product (Dirty air). Give them some triva about air quality. People interested will remember that. At the very end of the conversation, slip them a business card and say "hey if you are interested in learning more, let me know". I always try to get a card from them (or info on a napkin) so I can follow up later.
Remember selling is not really "selling" as much as it is giving them interesting information that drives them to ask questions. You are "solving a problem" in their life with a product they WANT to buy from you. again, it takes practice and the first 10-15 times you may fail but the mos important thing to remember is persistance. Rememeber, people are highly sensitive to selling and will block you the second the feel they are being sold something.
Lastly, once a product is "positioned" in a person's head it is extremely difficult to change it (most people do not like to change). For example, "I have always used Tide soap and have no reason to change". You selling me a different soap will be very difficult unless you give me a reason that makes me WANT to buy yours. No chemicals for example. But you have to do this in a way that engages thinking and not selling.
Hope that helps!
Andy
Posted by Andy Kruse | December 14, 2006 11:04 PM
Posted on December 14, 2006 23:04
I am struck by your plain-spoken description of ABS, e.g., anyone could read this and get it.
I'm also realizing, right here and now, that we are all selling, all of the time. My close co-worker is constantly selling me on how he can never catch a break. Our group's coordinator is always selling us on how things would work much more smoothly if we would just do it her way. And my dad is still selling me (and anyone who will listen) on how everyone is trying to take advantage of everyone else.
Given this, it seems absurd to avoid being conscious of what it is we're selling. I've lost track of how many salespeople I've encountered who seem to forget that they have a product and/or service to inform me about in a way that I'll find interesting, even exciting. It's truly surreal to agree to spend time with someone who seems to have something that I want to know more about, and get a sob story, or a lecture, or a report on How Bad Things Are, or some other conversation which has little to do with my interests, and ends with, "So, do you want one or two?"
I notice in your comparison of ABC to ABS that the key distinction seems to be the seller's assumptions: ABS would appear to be more focused on creating interest and gauging potential commitment, whereas ABC looks more like some numbers game where you try to close anyone and everyone, hoping that your contact-to-sales ratio is high enough to suit your goals.
That is, ABS requires preparation and "being there", i.e., listening to the prospect. I mean really listening, as opposed to listening for something. Like a "buying sign," as though there were actually some way to "read people" without actually relating to them--or worse yet, some nameless power to manipulate strangers.
I suppose that some might want to do that, to control others without even knowing who they are. It seems like a very lonely way to spend one's time.
Posted by Brad Eleven | December 26, 2006 1:31 AM
Posted on December 26, 2006 01:31