Saung Business Marketing

We really live in an age of information overdose. There is information just about everywhere, on just about everything. Most of this information is on selling. Whether it comes to us on how to make a wonderful first impression, or how to have the best body language and verbal communication, or how to develop great relationships, it is ultimately selling. I, for one, genuinely know that selling is dignified communication. What I do not like is manipulation while selling. To understand this better let me take you through sales as a profession, and as an activity.

Let us first of all be aware that all of us who are trading our time in return for money, providing certain products or services are in a profession of sales. Be it the humble school teacher, or a renowned doctor, people right across the spectrum of varied professions, are into selling all the time. Selling is not just restricted to the salesman who rings your doorbell, or makes an office call, or the sharply dressed people who show you around in exclusive showrooms. Each one of us is into selling.

First of all, always make sure that you are treating your existing customers with a great deal of respect. If they are loyal to you, reward this with bonuses and special discounts. Because of these special deals, they will be much more likely to stick with you into the future, as well as recommending you and your products to their friends and family.

If you have a staff, make sure that they are dependable and reliable. The last thing that you want your small business to have is a high staff turnover rate. This can have a direct impact upon your sales if you need to continue hiring and training new staff members on a regular basis. Create a good working environment and you should be able to easily maintain a productive and efficient staff.

It's almost time to seed the lawn again at my home. I love this time of year because I get to scalp the grass down to practically nothing. It is a fast job because I don't have to bag it, and can make a big mess if I want to. It does usually take two runs with the mower to get it to the right length, but I had a feeling that if everything worked out...I could do it in one pass. So I lowered the blade of the mower as low as it could go, and set off to have some fun.

It wasn't long before I realized that the lawn had not been cut for a couple of weeks and the length of the grass in some parts were going to be too long for the height of the mower blade. In other words the mower was bogging down in the weeds, and because of this, and my short cut that I took, it was going to take me twice as long to finish the job.

Over the years I've read many sales pages for a wide range of products and services. The conclusion I'm coming to is that what we seem to want as human beings appears to be similar across the board. What we are generally looking for is an opportunity that seems to tick 10 principal boxes. These boxes are as follows:

- Takes little time. In the West we have busy lives often including many different commitments. Time is therefore precious and we don't want to be spending it on lengthy processes that take up our time.

- Makes us money consistently...preferably fast. Some say money is the root of all evil. Others are earning in the millions or billions...often consistently, passively and fast. Whatever side of the fence you're on you need to survive: you need shelter food and water and this has to come from somewhere. We've moved on from the days of bartering to exchanging goods and services with money, or debt as the case may be. So whether we like it or not money (in whatever form it takes) is important in our lives.

Lately I was in discussion with my friend Ashraf Chaudhry: Are sales people born or developed? Ashraf said that "I have not heard any mother shouting in the labor room that she has given birth to a salesman"! Whereas my view is that sales is a natural skill every human being posses, however only few take the challenge as a professional salesman!

Not many realize that sales is perhaps the most creative profession and entry level jobs are plenty! Companies need good sales people particularly in the economic slowdown and when competition is fierce.

Top sales people reach at this position because they know what makes people buy; they know what to say and when to say it! Those who do not reach to the top sales positions are generally "lazy". Being lazy takes them nowhere - they are stuck in their career and often fired and look for another option.