In my last blog post, I highlighted the need for a compelling value proposition as a starting point in launching a company’s sales effort. Whether you are selling a car, real estate, clothes, or freight transportation services, having a strong and differentiated value proposition helps get the attention of prospective buyers and creates a sales opportunity for you and your company. If you don’t have a solid value proposition, I urge you to make this a priority before you move forward. In this blog I will discuss four other key elements of the sales process.

P for Passion

I have written about the importance of having a passion for your company and its products or services in the past. If you don’t have a strong belief in the company you work for, this inhibits sales success. In fact, if you don’t have this conviction, and you cannot fix this situation, you should probably be thinking of working for another organization. Passion gives you the energy and motivation you need to drive your sales effort.

T for Trust

I have had multiple sales careers during my many years in the business world. As a teenager, I sold men’s clothing for a high-end retail chain in Montreal. For many years I sold or managed sales teams that offered freight transportation services to shippers across North America. My most challenging sales assignment has taken place over the past 18 years as I developed my consulting practice. When I started, I had a to build a business from scratch. We had no customers, just some ideas on the services we wished to market. During this same period, I also helped successfully grow an annual freight transportation conference and sustained this business over an 11-year period.

I learned many valuable sales lessons from these various sales assignments. I will share a few tips in this blog, and the subsequent blogs in this series.

Value Proposition

One of the starting points for success in sales comes from an understanding of customers’ needs. What is motivating the potential purchaser of a suit or sport coat and slacks? What type of freight transportation service does the customer need to satisfy the requirements of their end users? Why is a prospective attendee contemplating going to a business conference? When I received a call from a President or VP, Finance of a company seeking consulting services, what is the primary problem that they were seeking to address?