Make the easiest sales pitch of your life

Yes, this is the sales pitch everyone misses. FAIL!

And, to make matters worse it is one prospect that’s probably your easiest sales to close. The prospect will become one of your most loyal clients and they’ll be in the relationship for the long haul. They’ll even sell for you too without you having to ask or incentivize them. And, no, it's not your mum!

Bet you’re desperate to find out who they are, aren’t you?

Ok. I’ll put you out of your misery as I can't bear to see you make this mistake. Your easiest sales pitch you're ever going to make is to your internal prospect i.e. those who work alongside you, but who aren’t involved in active business development or selling.

Think about it. Other than you, who can define the features, benefits and values of your product or service?

They may not have “sales” in their title or be paid commission, but this group should definitely be encouraged to promote your business, recognize opportunities and position the organization for growth.

And that’s why I teach all my students, who come through my sales program to view this group of prospects as ambassadors for their company. These people are your stealth sellers. They’ve the power to be an extension of your sales team and deserve the opportunity to buy into the company’s future and success.

Equally, their actions, attitudes, comments, or lack thereof have the potential to threaten a sale or lose a client.

So keep them happy, keep them motivated and train them up!

Story time

I remember the first event my business ever did. It was 2002 and my third child had just been born. She was actually 5 months old. The event was at one of the largest shows in Europe for our industry sector. Anyway, as we wanted and needed to make an impact we had the whole company actively selling. They all knew our vision and our mission as we’d (or more accurately I’d) indoctrinated them at their induction. I wanted to get their buy in from the get-go. They knew exactly how to approach prospects as I’d given them training before. They were hyped about it too and did so well. The team united and as a result the clients we brought on board from that event stayed with us for over a decade. The revenue generated accounted for millions. The team’s efforts and commitment to what we were trying to achieve were exemplary. They pulled together and made me proud.

And this is how it should work for you – even if you're a team of one! By selling yourself and your product or service to your internal client or team or even to your suppliers you’ll:

Increase your revenue more quickly
Increase your repeat business
Generate more leads or referrals
Leverage time and resources

Think about it. Who does the following?

Carries out the promise of the sale i.e. the deliverables?
Answers general inquiries?
Creates the product or completes the service?
Checks on the order status?
Handles complaints?
Delivers the products?
Explains the features?
Handles the billing questions?
Markets or packages the goods?
Collects the invoices?
Follows up on the procedures?

Throughout each day your consultants, and those staff in accounts, admin, human resources, operations, production, logistics and marketing all have countless interactions with your clients and prospects. Regardless of whether you own your business, run the department or sell a particular product line, you have the power to impact your own revenue growth by selling your value to the internal client.

Examine your current operating culture and assess the following:

Do all your employees know your vision and mission?
Do all your employees know exactly what you’re offering?
Are all your employees actively engaged in selling and promoting the product?
Have you defined what the organizational philosophy is that drives the employee/customer interaction?
Have you communicated that to everyone too?
Have you created an environment in which each and every connection brings value to your clients?
Do all your employees know what the value proposition is?
Do all your employees know why your market needs what you’re selling?
What benefits are received from your offering (savings, efficiencies etc)?
What makes your offering special and differentiates it from the rest?
Do all your employees know what opportunities look like?
Do you know what they do when they recognize opportunities?
Do all employees have the training and tools to convey your offerings (features, benefits and value)?

Figure out how you can impact each and every person in your organization. Do this at an individual and department level. Make the effort to include all staff as having a stake in the sales results and business success really helps to increase sales. If you’re a solo entrepreneur, and a team of one, think about your suppliers – those you outsource to. Treat them as an extension to your team. Get them buzzing about what you do.

Now I want to hear from you…

Tell me your stories. Have you ever tried to do a sales pitch to your internal team or even to one of your suppliers? If you've done or still do it, do you offer any rewards or incentives? Share your stories and experience here.

Thanks for participating!

With love and gratitude – as always,

P.S.

Finally, if you know someone who'd LOVE the insight from this post, please send them a link. You’ll find solo entrepreneurs, consultants and yes, even sales and marketing managers who manage people who'll be interested to hear about this.