Your ability to sell as an entrepreneur will to a long way determine how successful you become in business. This is because, every stop of the entrepreneurial journey requires you to sell your ideas, products and services.
~Nelson Semanu & Elizabeth Boandoh-Korkor
Selling doesn’t seem prestigious. In a recent interview with one of Africa’s most respected networking professionals, he made a very shocking revelation. When he left school several years ago and plunged himself into network marketing, most of his colleagues laughed and scorned as to why a very intelligent graduate like him would leave every other opportunity to sell pharmaceutical and other personal care products of companies. Today, he’s a country Director of a reputable multinational network marketing company. The experience of Andrew Cudjoe Asare is not new! Nelson recounts quite well how some of his mates at the University of Ghana used to laugh at him for selling motivational books in class. What they didn’t know was that, those skills were going to help in his future endeavours when he got the opportunity to work with some corporate organizations in Accra.
Meghan Casserly, Forbes Staff Entrepreneurship writer openly shares this thought in one of her articles: “From sell-outs to used-car salesmen, it’s no secret that selling gets a bad rap. It’s so uncool, in fact, that it’s one of the positions startups have the hardest time filling with young employees. The concept of selling isn’t cool,” says Steven Osinski, a sales expert at San Diego State University and former entrepreneur who successfully off-loaded a marketing company to Monster.com in the nineties. “But the truth is so many businesses have gone under because they don’t know how to sell. You can have the greatest product or service on the market, but without sales strategies, you’ll never get it off the ground.” Particularly for entrepreneurs, getting a handle on basic sales strategies can be more critical to the success of a venture than the development of its products and services.
Elizabeth has been involved in hawking kenkey before. She has sold clothing as a student and banker and still does. For a full crash course on her entrepreneurial exploits, you can read her biography titled, ‘The Making of A Super Girl’. Nelson has sold smoked fish at the market at Kasoa during his teenage years. He also sold motivational and Christian literature whiles at the university of Ghana. As an entrepreneur, your ability to sell is one of your strongest skills. Do you know that even your negotiations skills at the table springs out of your selling acumen? There is no success in business for anyone who is intimidated by selling. You can never do without it as a start up! Whether you’re born extrovert or introvert, as a founder/CEO, you’ll find yourself always selling at one time or another.
You’ll be selling your vision to prospective partners and funding sources. You’ll be selling to prospective recruits on why they should quit their day jobs and join this start-up they’ve never heard of. You’ll be selling your products and services to potential clients. You’ll be selling your vision to your employees on why they should remain calm and stay with the ship when the seas inevitably get rough. If you’re not a natural marketer, it is advisable to seek some guidance. Be prepared to hire someone if you must and put together a business plan. Sales and marketing are key to your success as an entrepreneur!
In as much as selling is an important attribute, it is vital to know what to sell along the entrepreneurial journey. There are three (3) most vital things every entrepreneur must learn how to sell. They include:
- Learn how to SELL YOUR VISION
When it comes to the art of selling, most people think of products, but selling is not just about product sales. The first and the most important thing that every entrepreneur must learn to sell is his or her vision. Indeed, an entrepreneur who wants to excel in her product sales must have first excelled in selling his or her vision. Your ability to sell your vision as an entrepreneur is critical to business success. Excellent vision sales leads to strategic business partnerships both locally and internationally that later translate into product and service sales.
- Learn how to SELL YOUR PRODUCTS
It is much easier to sell products and services once you excel at selling your vision. People who buy into your vision will purchase your products and services. This is very important to understand as an entrepreneur. People who don’t accept your vision and what you seek to do will not promote your products and services nor buy them.
- Learn how to SELL YOUR SERVICES
It is easier to sell products that people can see than intangible services. Services selling is much more difficult than product selling. Entrepreneurs who are offering services therefore need to learn the art in order to succeed.
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