Last week I must have struck a chord in some people based on the reactions received. When the concept of avoiding conflict was linked to avoiding revenue there was plenty to discuss. In fact, it almost proved my point. The article caused conflict and the conflict distracted away from the point. So, this week we attempt to bring some additional insights to the table for your consideration.
Earlier this year the discussion about the “Fix This Next” Business hierarchy of needs was reviewed. The level above culture is sales, life blood of the business or in human terms, the air we need to breath. With out sales no business exists. No need for process or procedure or even a consideration of what to do with profit. Sales are so paramount to the success of a business that when applying the Pareto Principle (80/20 rule) you need to be focusing 80 percent of your focus and priorities on sales generation to 20 percent on the operations side of the business.
Many business leaders when entering a business bring the technical aspects of the business with them – the technical operations side of the business. These skills are the trade or talent which ultimately will prove critical in delivering the goods and services, but until you have a willing buyer these skills are pretty much useless.
Enter the concept of conflict or “Pain.”
Let’s review by example – A business is entering into a new product market with an offering they have spent time, money and energy developing. The product looks great and meets with the specification the designers laid out at the beginning of the project. There is lots of hype about how well the product is going to sell and add revenue to the company’s books. Shelves are stocked with products to ship. The internet is a buzz with lots of social media. The launch happens with great fanfare. Now everyone just waits to start taking in those orders. Sound familiar?
The obvious first steps are to do the upfront work to model the product design based on real market research. To identify what, and how the product fixes or resolves a pain of the target customer. By having the fix or resolution to a customer pain, the energy of bringing the new product to market is not scattered. It is narrowly focused on that pain fix. It knows exactly where it fits into the marketplace and who has the pain which needs resolving.
The reality is that just because you know who should be experiencing the pain the product resolves, it does not mean they recognize the pain they are experiencing. This is where conflict plays into the sales process. To bring a person’s awareness to a product which takes away a given pain, the buyer must face the conflict of admitting they have the pain. The product then fixes that pain, and the buyer purchases the product.
We have all watched the commercials which illustrates the person doing some back breaking task only to need some relief in the form of heat, massage, or pain pills. The advertisement brought forth the conflict of acknowledging you are not as young as you once were and yes you need a product to help you continue forward without such pain.
This week as you continue to work on your business rather than in it, look at how you are going to market to fix or resolve your target customer’s pain or conflict. Is your sales team skilled at uncovering pain and then providing a solution from your products and services or are they just selling stuff to your customers?
Need pain and conflict selling knowledge? Give JKL Associates and your Promise Guide a call at (313) 527-7945 in Michigan or (407) 984-7246 in Florida. Or go onto our calendar below and schedule an initial meeting which works best on your busy schedule. JKL Associates looks forward to continuing to build relationships rooted in “Purpose.”