Visibility: Growing your base

The other day I was driving home from running a few errands, and I saw this truck parked at the corner of a local gas station. The truck-owner apparently got thirsty and stopped in to buy a pop. So why didn't he park up buy the building? The answer was on the side of his truck. He sold tools and his box-truck was a moving billboard. Parking at the corner made him more visible than anywhere else.

So my question is... are we becoming more visible?

Visibility is a key to selling success. It is one of the ways of shifting the law of averages in your favor. I have even called it "filling the funnel." It goes like this. You have 20 prospects that come in at the top of your funnel. Of those 20, 8 or 9 qualify to buy your product or service. But at the yes or no stage of whether the customer buys, only 3 sign. 

Now increase your visibility rate. You get in the eyes of, say, hundreds of people. You're still doing your prospecting game, but now you're adding an additional stream of prospects into your funnel. You add another 50 or so to your funnel. What is great is that something these prospects perceive about you, that maybe you can help them with a problem, causes them to call on you. This causes a heightened chance of the prospect qualifying. See why visibility matters? More qualified prospects equal a higher chance of a successful sale.

What is great about today is, in our information-rich era, we have at our disposal tools that cost little-to-no money at all, especially with social media. Let's break this down.

Facebook: Everybody seems to be connecting, liking statuses, posting updates, and commenting on crazy photos. You can post photos of new products, status updates of finance options, run polls to get ideas from your fan-base, and more using the pages options. A word of caution: Anybody can like a page, status, photo, etc. Because of Facebook's inclusiveness, you need to really figure out a way to bring the customer into your sphere. Using Facebook to promote events or freebies and bonuses to get people in the door is a good idea

Blogger, WordPress, etc. This is a way of providing credible advice and reviews. Proper use of blogs can give you leverage in the arenas of credibility and trustworthiness. It also gives you an opportunity to delve into the "Why's" and "Why not's" of product choice. This can help save you and your prospects time and energy in the long run.

LinkedIn: This is more of an exclusive, professional network. Business people connecting with business people. Can you think "Endorsements?" This is a great method of building credibility among fellows in the business sphere. This is also a great sharpening tool for you and your own business. Say you connect with Sally Jones at Sally's Hair Shoppe. Your business is cars. Not only that but you've been endorsed in multiple skills. Mary Jane comes in to get her hair done and, wouldn't you know it, she starts talking about how her car gives her nothing but fits and now its time for an upgrade. Sally knows that you are endorsed in areas that can help Mary Jane make an authoritative decision and she passes on your info to Mary Jane.

Twitter: Special Deal on our new... from 11am to 3pm. #ExperienceAwesome. 140 characters to shout out to your followers, plus they have plugins to send the same tweets to Facebook.

YouTube: PEOPLE CONNECT WITH IMAGES. Image is a powerful medium of influence. So imagine that instead of writing about a product, you tell a customer to his or her face at his or her convenience. Imagine that instead of "2 acre, Multi-Level, 4BR 2BA," You, instead, take your customer on a tour of the home. Imagine that instead of a grainy phone-call or an abbreviated statement, your successful customers sitting in front of a camera and telling future customers point-blank what they liked about your services.

You can see that visibility is an essential part of your success. These are a few freebies you can go to and start broadcasting to the public. Remember to always get your name out. Increase your fan-base and you will see success. Be successful and Stay Curious   

Why Do You Want To Sell?

Why? This is the philosophy angle of selling. This is the bed rock to what you do. 

Are you wanting to make a lot of money? Are you wanting to make yourself wealthier? Better bank account? Nicer house? Nicer car? If this is the case, you want a benefits package, not a job.

The word "sell" has a variety of roots. The Old English sellan means "to give." It's Gothic root is even better: saljan, meaning "to offer a sacrifice."

This being said, why do you want to sell? Do you believe that your product or service can improve your customer's life? Do you believe you can help your customer live a happier, more productive life? These are fundamentals that I repeatedly see salesmen and women forget (Myself included sometimes... Yikes!). This article is essentially me calling us back to our "Why" factor.

Now this is in no way condemning the sale to the customer who wants to buy that 2013 Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca (Base just under $50k). If you have the means of giving the customer that luxury, go ahead. Just make sure you are totally operating in the interest of your customer while maintaining high standards of integrity.

But I believe that to be the best salesman (or woman), you have to operate in this strange bias that yes: they will love your product and service, no: they won't hate you or your product tomorrow, yes: they will want to come to buy from you again back when it is time to upgrade, etc.

That brings me to my final point: Your philosophy should begin with your legacy. If you died and your relatives went through your possessions would they be ashamed? Same is true that if you found a better opportunity and left your company, would your former managers be ashamed of your conduct; your customers of your salesmanship and integrity? Always act in the best interest of everybody. I know it seems like I'm beating a dead horse, but I see so many customers relegated to being just another transaction and so many employers becoming another paycheck-provider.

I hope this has inspired you to think through the "Why's" of your selling. Maybe you're a veteran and know all this and practice this already, Thank you. It is my observation of you veterans of sales and made-men of the field that inspire me to write this, because I want to become the best in whatever sales field I am engaged. I know that my generation (in general) sometimes makes you wonder if anybody cares about the future of our trade. Here's one "Yes." I hope this serves as a breath of fresh air. 

To you others starting out- WELCOME.

To all, as always, STAY CURIOUS!