My Business - Getting Started

[GordonJ]

get started then it takes to keep the ball rolling.

Originally Posted by slxguru2003

. My plan is to provide training/consulting, coaching and products in the areas of sales.

What will you be offering? Proprietary stuff? How about selling some of the millions of sales training courses others have out there?

Right now, I'm a full-time employee. I'm a VP of Sales for a $150 mm company.

You have tons of sales training information that crosses your desk, you can't swing a burned out salesman without knocking down at least 5 people trying to sell YOUR COMPANY on sales training...right?

Which ones do you use? Which ones have you bought? I think there is a MARKET for some sort of a Sales Training EVALUATION or Comparison site...I couldn't find one...(OH Phil). From Dale Carneige, Sandler to Richardson...and a million others.

Which ones have you been exposed too? Which ones, are in your opinion the best? Why?


It just seems that I'm not making any progress. I'll average about 2 hours per night per week (more on the weekends) working on my business related items.

What specifically are you working toward? What is the end result? Do people in your industry regard you as a TOP DOG salesman? Have you considered a direct marketing approach, from VP to VP?


At this stage, there isn't much I can find to outsource, but I do when I can (such as web site, articles I hand write or dictate when traveling). My wife isn't a big fan of my quiting my job and then starting, even though we could live fine on her salary

I'm with your wife on this one. I could be wrong, but it doesn't seem that you have a clear cut idea of what your life is going to look like when you have a successful consulting business...and have you put a plan together, that includes expenses too?

How have people handled working full-time and trying to start a business? What did you focus on first? Where did you concentrate your time?

I like the business plan. NO, you don't need one. NO, it isn't a necessity, but by doing the simplist of business plans, it makes you THINK where you want to go and by filling in a Pro Forma...a challenge in itself...it may help you clarify what you need to do...and therefore give you a step-by-step plan of action to proceed. Lots of free biz plans laying around the streets of the Internet.

How did you handle creating your product/service with relation to when you started marketing? When did you know it was the right time to quit your job?

Are you creating you very own "Dale Carneige" type of Sales Training? What can you offer that Sandler, Richardson, High Probability, SPIN, Zig Ziglar, Tom Hopkins, SalesVantage...etc. etc.

Everyone has an opinion on when to quit. Mine is to keep the job until your part-time limted efforts replace your paycheck, including benefits.

But, others may say quit NOW and jump in...watch your head on the shallow bottom or you may break your neck.


Any advice or words of wisdom would be great!
James

James,

I have lots of advice. Wisdom? Maybe.

Grab a blank piece of paper from your printer and a pen. Draw a circle. Put a stick figure inside. That represents YOUR customer of the future.

She/he is going to be buying consulting and training from you, right?

What do you know about her? Where does she work? In what capacity? Is she also a VP of marketing perhaps?

Is she the sole decision maker on training? An Entrepreneur? A small business owner with a small staff?

Say for this example she is your peer. A Veep in Marketing at a 150 mm dollar company...you have an idea of what her day is like, right?

How can you save her TIME? Money? How can you help her become more efficient, and how can she BUY what you are selling and help her company improve sales?

Are you in a specialized niche? Does your sales team have inside industry information? For example, if you were selling Paint pigments to paint manufactures...your people will be highly trained in all things paint, right?

So what are you highly skilled in, industry speaking? OR do your sales techniques cross boundaries and could be used by many sales people?

NOW then, the HARD part...to THINK about how you are going to get inside her bubble, get her to start thinking about YOU and your services...at what cost?

Can you NOW, today...sit down with your wife and do this exercise together...and let her play the role of the person you are trying to sell too...and answer all the questions you can think of...

How do you REACH her? What do you say? What EXACTLY are you offering? AT what cost? How long?

What is IN IT FOR HER? Guarantees to increase sales? Free her time?

What marketing materials will YOU be using to market yourself? Direct Response like ads (who's going to write them, at what cost, what is the mailing expense)...cold calls? ... Letters?

WHAT exactly will someone who takes your training get? A three ring binder? Is it ready yet? Software? Workbook? How much one to one or follow up consulting will you do?

I'm sorry James about the questions..but it has been myexperience that failure happens time after time because so many people want to JUMP into it without answering the most important questions...like cash flow?

Does your company PAY people the day they train? Many have 30, 60, 90 day terms. Can you stay afloat waiting for those corporate checks to come in?

Well, that is more than enough food for thought. DO that little exercise, with your wife...have her read this and ask you the questions. Record it. Put your answers down in the blanks of a simple business plan...and VIOLA...you're ready to go.

Gordon (Mr. QUESTIONS) Alexander

PS. There is ALWAYS room for some new or different SALES technique. Consider hooking up with someone who might have SOME proprietary techniques for helping salespeople clear their minds to sell.

Don't know if it will help or not, but a discussion on LIFESTYLE with your wife might come in handy too...just happen to have a dandy little report all about lifestyle: Check out Fly Low and Collect the Dough

http://www.flylowcollectdough.com