—How do you warm up a sale? How do you interact with prospects? How do you build rapport? In episode #293 of Negotiations Ninja, Kim Orlesky points out that people have a weird assumption that the sales process is simply picking up the phone and “giving it a go.” But many people don’t realize that there’s a process behind outreach, rapport building, etc. If there isn’t a process, there should be. Why?
If you don’t have a sales process, how do you understand where your cash flow and revenue are coming from? Too many companies go, “I have a great salesperson.” They just think plugging in the right people will propel them forward. But just because a salesperson is great in one role doesn’t mean that they’ll be a great salesperson in another.
The importance of a sales process from an entrepreneurial lens
Kim notes that as entrepreneurs, you have to understand that your company’s value on paper and in reality is completely different. If you are the salesperson in your company, it won’t be worth much when you want to leave it. Why? You’re the frontline. Your business has to be able to operate without you.
A logical and written sales process makes your company far more valuable. When Kim went to sell her company, she was told that without her, it was nothing. While it was disheartening, she was happy she learned it now versus when she went to retire.
You have to ask a difficult question: Can someone buy your business and immediately take over? If the answer is “no,” you don’t really have a company. You have a job where you set your hours.
Personal branding: a help and a hindrance
Kim will bring value to a new employer because she’s built a personal brand. It’s almost become essential to sales success. But her personal brand is also the reason she realized she couldn’t sell her business. She was the face of her brand. People didn’t want sales training from someone else—they wanted it from her.
So how do you leverage a personal brand to build your business? Does it make sense to make it part of your overall sales process? Kim shares her unique move to sell her business and dive back into the corporate world in episode #293 of Negotiations Ninja. Check it out!