It seems like everyone’s offering advice about sales and marketing these days. And for good reason – you can’t be successful in business without a successful marketing and sales strategy.
But it seems like a lot of entrepreneurs are so focused on ways to sell more stuff that they’ve forgotten the fundamental rule of business: you’ve got to be selling something worth buying.
I learned this lesson the hard way when I made my first foray into the world of entrepreneurship. I was 17, and there was a crafts show coming up in my area. This would be the perfect opportunity to sell my handmade clay jewelry! I spent hours making bracelets, necklaces, and earrings; carefully placing price tags on each item; and figuring out how to display my wares.
The day of the crafts show arrived, and I got there early to set up. I couldn’t have been more excited. People started pouring in and I knew it would only be a matter of time before my first sale. I stood behind my little table for 6 hours, and smiled at every potential customer that walked by. A lot of potential customers walked by, and many of them stopped to ask questions, but none of them bought anything.
That’s right – I didn’t sell a single piece of my jewelry that day (or ever, in fact). So what was the problem? I had displayed my products in a visually appealing way, there was plenty of foot traffic, the prices were low, and I worked hard to connect with the passers-by.
It turns out there just wasn’t a market for cheap clay jewelry made by a 17 year old girl with very little jewelry-making talent. I was selling something that wasn’t worth buying.
That lesson has stuck with me, and to this day I won’t sell something I don’t believe in. In my career I have sold advertising, corporate sponsorships, test preparation courses, kitchen products, freelance writing & editing services, books, food & wine, and even jewelry (made by others, of course). In each case I was successful because the stuff I was selling was worth buying. I knew it, the customers knew it, and it made all the difference.
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Jim Pearson has spent more than 25 years helping small and mid-size businesses find solutions to their business problems. He specializes in sales, marketing and rapid revenue growth and has helped hundreds of companies make more money.
Gene Culver has more than 15 years of diverse business experience across the music industry, telecom network marketing and business coaching. His specialty is helping individuals with marketing, their internet presence and lead generation.
I learned this the hard way too, but I’m not sure how you discover (other than investing a lot of time and/or money) whether your product has “legs” or not.
When asking for advice on how to choose a direct sales company, people are often told, “sell a product you are passionate about.” This is a perfect example of why that isn’t always the best advice. Yes, it’s easier to sell something you are enthusiastic about, but it’s just as important to sell what your target market is passionate about, and willing to spend money on.