Business Growth Strategy – Success Secrets

After some heady years working alongside Eric Watson as Group Marketing Director of the Blue Star Group, and being part of the team that saw the business grow from $4 million to $500 million in five years, I sold out just before my 30th birthday believing that there was more to life. I was right. I’ve prostituted many of my working years to corporates, not realising until a lot later why these relationships served me so well commercially yet left me drained in other ways.

 I was a regional manager for Rank Xerox at the age of 23, a company rep for a national courier company complete with company car at age 18, all milestones yet all unsatisfying in their own right.  If only I knew then what I do now, my journey could have been more enjoyable in the moment.  However, a good bi-product of this journey has been the learnings which I now get to share with my clients.

Interestingly, most business dealings come down to sales, or the psychology relating to the sales process.  In business we need to listen to people, sort the wheat from the chaff, build empathy, make the hard calls, be decisive, be convincing and committed, be persuasive, be engaging and get things over the line.  We need to know when to push, when to give a situation breathing space, when to tell people what needs to happen next.  Business needs to be done with integrity, otherwise it often won’t last.  All of these are also true for sales!

Selling can be done with integrity, and my belief is that it is always better done from this perspective.  This also applies to business.  Manipulation is not required, nor are half-truths.  Rather than the ‘hard sell’, one often benefits from having the prospect chasing the seller, wanting to buy rather than being sold to.

Selling is an incredibly satisfying career choice.  Being able to assist people to define their problems and be able to provide a solution has got to be one of the most satisfying experiences.  When you have a client that thanks you for assisting them you know you have got it right!

Good sales people often aspire to become managers, whereas their skills and passion may actually best suit them to continue being a sales person.  Business growth can come from acquiring new clients, keeping existing clients, and gaining more from existing.  A blend of these three strategies is usually the most appropriate, and the fact that existing customers come back for more tends to tell you that you are doing the right things.

So, have people do roles they enjoy as they will become good at them, train them well, have a culture which is in alignment with your values, and partner with your staff and clients to growth so that everyone benefits. Contact Phil today to discuss how your team can unlock their sales potiential and grow your business.